Two of the world’s frontline nations, America and the United Kingdom have raised the alarm over the economic and political situations in Nigeria.
While America is concerned about the political landscape it claimed is blighted by impunity, which it said poses a grave threat to the almost two-decade-old democracy if not urgently redressed, Britain is worried by the bludgeoning poverty in its erstwhile colony.
Ahead of her visit to Nigeria today, British Prime Minister Theresa May frowned at what she described as the rising inequality in wealth distribution. According to her, with no fewer that 87 million of its citizens living below $1.90 a day, Nigeria is home to the poorest people in the word.
The prime minister, who spoke during her visit to Cape Town, South Africa, yesterday, expressed sadness that though much of Nigeria is thriving, with many individuals enjoying the fruits of a resurgent economy, 87 million Nigerians still live on less than $1.90 a day.
“In 2018, five of the world’s fastest-growing economies are African. The continent’s total GDP could well double between 2015 and 2030. By 2050, a quarter of the world’s population and a quarter of the world’s consumers will live here. From the Western Cape to the Mediterranean come stories of increasing stability, growth, innovation and hope.
“South Africa, for so long blighted by the evils of Apartheid, is free, democratic and home to one of the continent’s largest economies. In Cote D’Ivoire, United Nations peacekeepers have gone home and GDP is growing three times faster than in Europe. And Ethiopia – for a generation of British people often associated only with famine – is fast becoming an industrialised nation, creating a huge number of jobs and establishing itself as a global destination for investment.
“Yet, in a situation familiar to nations around the world, progress has not been uniform. As well as emergent democracies and growing economies, Africa is home to the majority of the world’s fragile states and a quarter of the world’s displaced people. Extremist groups such as Boko Haram and al Shabab are killing thousands. Africa’s ocean economy – three times the size of its landmass – is under threat from plastic waste and other pollution.
“Most of the world’s poorest people are Africans. And increasing wealth has brought rising inequality, both between and within nations. For example, much of Nigeria is thriving, with many individuals enjoying the fruits of a resurgent economy. Yet 87 million Nigerians live on less than $1.90 a day, making it home to more very poor people than any other nation in the world.”
The British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Paul Arkwight had announced on his Twitter handle @paulTarkwight that the Prime Minister would meet with President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja, saying both countries were expected to work in partnership on trade, security and tackling the scourge of modern slavery and human trafficking.
While the UK is troubled by the country’s parlous economic outlook, America said Nigeria being a role model to all black race in the world and other developing countries should allow democracy to flourish.
“There is impunity in Nigeria and that needs to be addressed. Impunity is a threat to democracy,” the United States of America Embassy Counselor for Public Affairs in Nigeria, Mr. Aruba S. G. Amirthanayagam warned in a chat with journalists after paying a courtesy visit on Alhaji Zubair Idris, executive director of a privately-owned radio station in Minna, Niger State, yesterday.
He said the United States expects that the 2019 general election would be free, peaceful, credible and transparent while urging all stakeholders to work towards achieving the goal.
He also charged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to replicate its performance in the 2015 general election generally acknowledged as free, fair and transparent in 2019.
According to him, “I think we should repeat the success we had in the last election because we have had elections in some parts of Africa that have not gone well. What we got in 2015 was great for Nigeria and for the rest of Africa and other developing countries.
“The success recorded in the 2015 general election must be sustained. United States of America will not expect anything less than that.”
He assured that America would not take side in the 2019 election in Nigeria “America will not take side, we want the winner to be elected in a free and fair contest”, he said insisting that “from the US perspective we want free peaceful credible election, we will do all we can to assist Nigeria’s government.”
When asked to comment on the statement credited to President Donald Trump that President Muhammadu Buhari was “lifeless”, the counselor said: “We have no specific comment on that, a newspaper published it, the paper should comment on it.”
Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has urged the British Prime Minister to take President Buhari to task on alleged human rights violations and disobedience to court orders by his administration.
The PDP in a statement by its spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan, also charged May to demand answers from Buhari on alleged cases of extra-judicial killings, unlawful arrests and detention and lack
of accountability by the government.
The opposition party urged the British leader to resist alleged choreographed plan by the Presidency confine her to Aso Rock stating that she must insist on visiting other parts of the country so as to appreciate the the true state of affairs. It also urged May to extract a commitment from Buhari that the 2019 general elections will be free and fair.
The Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, has said that simple geographical restructuring is not the problem with Nigeria.
On the contrary, prudent management of national resources and providing for the people properly were better ideas for Nigeria’s development challenges.
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Office of the Vice President, Laolu Akande, communicated Osinbajo’s view in a statement, in Abuja, on Monday.
The vice president was fielding questions from a cross-section of Nigerians at a town hall meeting in Minnesota, US, on Sunday.
Osinbajo spoke on a wide range of issues covering the economy, anti-corruption, health, agriculture among others.
According to the vice-president, the problem with Nigeria is not a matter of restructuring.
He said that Nigerians must not allow themselves to be drawn into the argument that Nigeria’s problems stemmed from some geographical restructuring.
Osinbajo meets some Nigerians at the Town hall meeting, in Minnesota
Osinbajo in the midst of Nigerians in Minnesota.
“It is about managing resources properly and providing for the people properly, that is what it is all about.
“I served for eight years as Attorney General in Lagos State and one of the chief issues that we fought for in Lagos state was what you call fiscal federalism.
“We felt that there was a need for the states to be stronger, for states to more or less determine their fortunes.
“For example, we went to court to contest the idea that every state should control, to a certain extent, its own resources; we were in court at that time up to the Supreme Court and the court ruled that oil-producing states should continue to get 13 per cent derivation.
“While we were at the Supreme Court only the oil-producing states and Lagos were interested in resource control, everybody else was not interested in resource control for obvious reasons.
”Now, that is the way the argument has always gone, those who have the resources want to take all of it, while those who do not have want to share from others.”
He said that Nigeria must create the environment that allowed for people to realise themselves economically because that truly is what the challenge is with Nigeria.
Osinbajo said that unless Nigerians are able to deal with the fundamental questions around corruption, their economic circumstance would keep going one step forward, two steps backwards.
“All that we have been able to deal with is grand corruption. When we started the TSA, the whole point was to aggregate all of the funds of government that were in private banks.
“So, we put all of the money in the Central Bank so that we could at least see the movement of money and by doing so, we were able to save 50 per cent of the corruption that was going on then.”
Relying on OPEC statistics on oil revenues accruable to Nigeria under successive administrations between 1990 and 2014, the vice-president said not much was done in infrastructure development in spite of the huge oil revenues earned.
He said that under the Babangida/ Abacha administrations (1990 – 1998) Nigeria realised $199.8 billion.
Under the Obasanjo / Yar’Adua governments (1999 – 2009), the country got $401.1 billion ; and during the Jonathan administration (2010 – 2014), Nigeria got $381.9 billion dollars from oil, Osinbajo said.
“The question that we must all ask is that what exactly happened to the resources? The question that I asked is that where is the infrastructure?
“One of the critical things that we must bear in mind and see is that this government despite earning $94 billion, up until 2017, we are spending more on infrastructure and capital than any previous government. So we are spending N1.5 trillion on capital, that is the highest we have spent since 1990.”
In the area of agriculture, Osinbajo said that the target was to attain self-sufficiency in the production of rice, tomato, among others.
According to him, the government is doing a lot of work in agriculture as it has increased local production such that Nigeria is no longer spending five million dollars daily on rice import.
“Today, we are doing 11 million metric tonnes of paddy rice and are now importing only 2 per cent of what we used to import,” he said.
Nigeria’s Ambassador to the US, Mr. Sylvanus Nsofor, led other Nigerians to the meeting.
1.The body of all the remnants of Biafra which was officially constituted into a non-legal entity in 2012 to sue the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Attorney-General of the Federation in a representative capacity by Bilie Human Rights Initiative in Suit No FHC/OW/CS/112/2012 now renumbered as Suit No FHC/OW/CS/192/2013 has established its Customary Government known as the Customary Government of Indigenous People of Biafra headed by the Supreme Council of Elders (hereinafter called the Customary Government of Biafra).
The Customary Government of Biafra is not a sovereign entity and shall administer the affairs of all Indigenous People of Biafra by the application of customary law and private law in accordance with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the rules of international law.
The Customary Government of Biafra acknowledges that all Indigenous People of Biafra are Nigerians by citizenship while they struggle for independence from Nigeria and shall upon attainment of independence maintain diplomatic and friendly ties with the governments of all nations that love Biafra and shall allow the Biafrans to exercise their fundamental rights under the human rights law regarding the choice of nationalities and citizenships.
The Customary Government of Biafra has observed that many Biafrans have different opinions as to the best approach to the Biafran independence struggle and this has caused unnecessary disagreements and in-fighting among them. It has therefore become necessary that all Indigenous People of Biafra must be under proper supervision and guidance by the Customary Government of Biafra to avoid anarchy, lawlessness and bloodshed among the various pro-Biafra groups agitating for the independence of Biafra.
Pursuant to the foregoing, the Supreme Council of Elders of Indigenous People of Biafra has approved and created an administrative body known as the National Executive Council (NEC) comprising the representatives of all pro-Biafra groups which recognise the legitimacy and authority of the Supreme Council of Elders to run the day-to-day affairs of the Customary Government of Biafra subject to these Administrative Guidelines.
ESTABLISHMENT OF THE NATIONAL EXECUTIVE COUNCIL (NEC):
By the power of the Supreme Council of Elders of Indigenous People of Biafra, an administrative body known as the National Executive Council (NEC) is hereby established to oversee the day-to-day affairs of all Indigenous People of Biafra under the Supreme Council of Elders and shall take decisions for the Customary Government of Biafra subject to confirmation by the Supreme Council of Elders.
The National Executive Council shall be composed of the representatives of all the pro-Biafra groups which recognise the legitimacy and authority of the Supreme Council of Elders and shall be 24 members subject to amendment of these Administrative Guidelines.
The National Executive Council shall hold their meetings periodically or as frequently as circumstances demand. The meetings of the NEC shall be convened by the Administrator of the Customary Government of Indigenous People of Biafra.
OFFICES AND FUNCTIONS:
Without prejudice to the offices created under Section 4.16 and Section 6 Order 5, of the Policy Statements and Orders of the Government of Indigenous People of Biafra, Vol. 1, 2014, the following heads of departments are created to perform the administrative functions of the Customary Government of Biafra until further directives are given:
Head of Policy and Strategies
Head of Administration
Head of Financial Management
Head of Security and Intelligence
Head of Media and Mass Mobilization
Functions:
(1) The Head of Policy and Strategies shall draw up the policies, guidelines, rules or regulations for the achievement of the goals of the Customary Government and present same to the NEC for consideration and critical analysis.
(2) The Head of Policy and Strategies is given the power to recruit or employ workers from all pro-Biafra groups which recognise the legitimacy and authority of the Supreme Council of Elders of Indigenous People of Biafra, whether as volunteers or employees by the Customary Government of Biafra on salaries, subject to the staff handbook made by the Head of Administration, and shall delegate duties to the workers to carry out the necessary researches as the basis for strategies and policy formulation.
(3) Upon the approval of the policies, guidelines, rules or regulations by the NEC, it shall be presented to the Supreme Council of Elders of Indigenous People of Biafra for confirmation before implementation.
(4) Where a disagreement arises in the NEC as to the approval of the policies, guidelines, rules or regulations, it shall be decided by simple majority vote among the NEC members. If the vote results in a tie, the Head of Policy and Strategies who prepared the documents shall have the overriding vote subject to confirmation by the Supreme Council of Elders.
(5) The Head of Administration shall implement the policies, guidelines, rules or regulations as approved by the NEC and confirmed by the Supreme Council of Elders.
(6) For effective implementation of the policies, guidelines, rules or regulations, the Head of Administration is given the power to employ workers for the Customary Government, whether as volunteers or paid employees, and shall oversee and control the personnel employed by the Customary Government and shall function generally as the Administrator of the Customary Government of Biafra.
(7) The Head of Administration is given the power to draw up a staff handbook for the personnel who shall work in the service of the Customary Government of Biafra, whether as volunteers or employees on salaries and wages. Where the staff handbook creates a legal obligation under contract or labour law for the workers of the Customary Government, the NEC shall deliberate on it and shall present it to the Supreme Council of Elders for confirmation before implementation.
(8) The Head of Administration shall present a monthly report to the NEC concerning the progress and challenges in running the affairs of the Customary Government. The NEC shall deliberate on the monthly reports and present a quarterly report to the Supreme Council of Elders for necessary actions.
(9) The Head of Financial Management shall use his initiatives to create the necessary systems, programmes and methods of raising finance for the Customary Government of Biafra for the fulfilment of its objectives in the struggle for the independence of Biafra.
(10) The Head of Financial Management is given the power to create the necessary accounting systems and financial management rules to ensure proper accounting records, transparency and public accountability for the Customary Government of Biafra.
(11) The Head of Financial Management is given the power to recruit or employ accounts officers, account clerks and book keepers, whether as volunteers or employees on salaries, subject to the staff handbook made by the Head of Administration, to assist in raising funds and managing the finance for the Customary Government of Biafra.
(12) The Head of Financial Management shall ensure that all money raised for the Customary Government of Indigenous People of Biafra, whether in cash or cheque, is paid within 24 hours into the bank account designated by the Supreme Council of Elders.
(13) The Head of Financial Management shall present a monthly report to the NEC concerning the progress and challenges in his department. The NEC shall deliberate on the monthly reports and present a quarterly report to the Supreme Council of Elders for necessary actions.
(14) The Head of Security and Intelligence shall maintain peace, law and orderliness among all Indigenous People of Biafra. The powers conferred on him under Section 6 Order 8 of the Policy Statements and Orders of the Government of Indigenous People of Biafra, Vol. 1, 2014, are hereby incorporated into these Administrative Guidelines.
(15) In addition to the powers already conferred on him, the Head of Security and Intelligence shall have the power to recruit or employ workers in his department whether as volunteers or employees on salaries for the Customary Government of Biafra, subject to the staff handbook made by the Head of Administration, and shall deploy them to serve the Customary Government in various capacities.
(16) The Head of Media and Mass Mobilization shall use his skills and initiatives to set up and run the media and mobilization works for the Customary Government of Biafra.
(17) The Head of Media and Mass Mobilization is given the power to recruit or employ workers, whether as volunteers or employees on salaries, subject to the staff handbook made by the Head of Administration, to assist in the media and mobilization work for the Customary Government of Biafra.
(18) The Head of Media and Mass Mobilization shall present a monthly report to the NEC concerning the progress and challenges in his department. The NEC shall deliberate on the monthly reports and present a quarterly report to the Supreme Council of Elders for necessary actions.
(19) All the members of the Supreme Council of Elders, Heads of Departments, Workers, Staff and Officers of the Customary Government of Biafra, whether full-time or part-time, shall be remunerated by the Customary Government of Biafra just like every other government in the world pays its workers. For this reason, the Supreme Council of Elders of Indigenous People of Biafra shall make an Order for the payment of the customary taxation called “utu-isi” in Igbo language for the achievement of the goals of the Customary Government of Biafra.
Heads of Working Committees:
IPOB National Orientation Agency ………….
IPOB Social Welfare Commission ……………
IPOB Job Creation Agency ………………………
IPOB Dispute Resolution Commission …….
Members of Working Committees:
Additional 15 Members from all the eligible pro-Biafra groups to complete the 24-member NEC as approved by the Supreme Council of Elders
THE NEW BIAFRA IN VIEW(Selling the new Biafra Nation to the public)
Why should we go for GOOD when we can be BETTER, and why must we settle for BETTER when we can be the BEST? This is the question anyone reading this should be asking him/herself as long as you are called South-Eastern or South-South by Nigerian government geo-political description which was meant to divide, weaken, exploit and enslave once peaceful, powerful and united people of Biafra that has existed side by side in Biafra land with well define boundaries and identified as “Biafar” or “Biafara” thousands of years before Nigeria was created.
Biafra is a Republic with federating nations
For instance, IGBO NATION, IZON or IJAW NATION, EFFIK NATION, ANAANG NATION, etc. just like where England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland formed the United Kingdom.
It is expected that every Uniting Nations under the new Biafra adopts an autonomous Republican administrative system of government, controlling its resources and territory; they all contribute to the central government financially from their respective economic activities for the running of the central government.
The ratio at which this national tax should be paid to the central government would be decided by the uniting nations.
Each nation would have its own administrative arm of government (Executive, Legislative and Judiciary, National Flag, National Anthem, Police, laws, etc.
FOR INSTANCE
WHAT SHOULD BE THE UNITING FACTORS IN THE NEW REPUBLIC?
DEFENCE- Having a common military
2. IMMIGRATION – Having one boarder control and immigration services.
3. CURRENCY – Being regulated by one Central Financial Body (Central Bank of Biafra)
4. CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – Having one central administrative government that oversees the overall administration of Biafra (Supreme Council of Elders).
5. And any other as may deem fit by the S.C.E and Uniting Biafra Nations
Adopting this structure will promote peace among Biafra nations as the fear of domination by one ethnic Nation is eliminated. It will give each Biafra Nation a well-defined identity among the international community of nations just as it is with U.K where there are Nations like England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland having their separate identity.
This structure will enhance constructive and healthy competition among Biafra Nations as they strive to maximise their individual resources towards achieving or attaining desired economic, political, infrastructural development and improved human standard of living, ensuring a strong defence, viable economy and most the effective boarder control.
This will place Biafra at the fore front of African development and global political framework.
Millions of Biafrans across the globe have been thrown into celebration galore as Barr Emeka Emekesri accepts to represent the new face of the quest to restore Biafra in the phase 2 of the Biafra project.
Emeka Chigozie Emekesiri, Esq, is a Barrister & Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, Solicitor of England & Wales, Registered Estate Surveyor & Valuer, Professional Management Consultant, Missionary Pastor & Bishop of Christ The Rock Community. He was trained at the University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus; Imo State University Owerri; Rivers State University of Science & Technology, Port Harcourt; and the College of Law, London, United Kingdom. He is a member of the Law Society of England & Wales; Member of the Nigerian Bar Association; Member of the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors & Valuers; Member of the Nigerian Institute of Management; Member of the Commonwealth Association of Surveying and Land Economy. He is versatile and multi-talented: the first Estate Surveyor & Valuer in Africa to invent new concepts and mathematical formulae in Valuation Science called Mekadolf Formulae; the first Valuation Surveyor in the world to invent the Dutiable Value (DV) Formula for computation of stamp duties, estate duties and capital gains tax; the first Valuation Surveyor in the world to invent the Life Productivity Value (LPV) Formula to assess the value of the life of a human being killed or injured by accident for compensation purposes. His Formulae have been approved by the Estate Surveyors & Valuers Registration Board of Nigeria (ESVARBON) and made compulsory in all the Nigerian Universities and Polytechnics for the study of Estate Surveying & Valuation. In his work on the “The Road Map to Peace and Development in the Niger Delta” presented to the Nigerian Government in 2006, he created the formula that formed the basis of the Petroleum Industry Bill currently before the National Assembly. He is the Principal of the Law Firm called Jaycee Gold Solicitors in London and Mekadolf Chambers in Nigeria
In his current Works on Biafra, Barr Emeka Emekesiri is the Solicitor for Indigenous People of Biafra who instituted the ongoing case in Suit No FHC/OW/CS/192/2013 between Biafra and Nigeria in the Federal High Court Owerri. He is the vision bearer of the Legal Methodology of self-determination using the four platforms namely: Bilie Human Rights Initiative, Customary Government of Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB Customary Government Agency for International Relations, and Movement of Biafrans in Nigeria (MOBIN). Their Organization has been granted ECOSOC status in the United Nations.
BVI Channel 1 Online Reporter has obtained the acceptance speech of the new ‘Messiah’ who will direct the affairs of Biafrans under the authority of the elders.In his acceptance speech,Barr Emeka Emekesri stated that Biafra must be restored .The full acceptance speech reads: I have been informed that many Biafrans who are loyal to the Customary Government under the Supreme Council of Elders of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) have requested that I should be called upon to provide leadership to the Biafrans and give directions for the way forward. I have also been informed that few people opposed the call by pointing out my weaknesses and faults which include the use of “I” instead of “we” in my statements; and that they would like me to relocate and live in Biafraland instead of London. I sincerely acknowledge my faults, weaknesses, failures and imperfections in the arts and science of organizational management, especially in managing the affairs of the Biafrans. Indeed, the little experience I have got so far in managing and advising the Biafran organizations in our Teamwork under the Elders has proved that much patience will be required in providing leadership to the Biafrans. I am willing to learn and grow in knowledge and understanding. Though I was trained in three professional disciplines and qualified as a Professional Management Consultant over thirty years ago, I remain a student of organizational management, social intelligence and human behavioural sciences with determination to achieve perfection. It is however expedient for me to state that leadership and followership are twin-sides of a coin as the failure or success of one leads to the failure or success of the other. It is our collective responsibility in teamwork by which the success is our success and the failure is our failure. I appreciate the love of the Biafrans who made the observations regarding the wrong use of “I” instead of “we” in my statements. I promise to be more careful in the use of personal pronouns in communications to avoid giving an impression of arrogance, pride and haughtiness. Nevertheless, I believe in the Christian Scriptures that command us to make honest reports always and give honour to whom honour is due. Therefore, I will never make a statement claiming the glory for what I did not do. I must give honour to whom honour is due and I request all the Biafrans to do the same unto me regarding my own contributions to the Biafran struggle. 2. Acceptance of the call to provide leadership: I hereby accept the call to provide leadership to the Biafrans who believe in the legal methodology of self-determination consisting of the judicial, political and diplomatic processes under the Supreme Council of Elders of Indigenous People of Biafra. This means that I must work with and submit to the Elders of Biafraland who believe in our methodology of self-determination. By accepting this call to provide leadership, I do not arrogate infallibility to myself and will not presume or proclaim myself the Leader of Biafra or President of Biafra or Prime Minister of Biafra. The Republic of Biafra is not yet restored and therefore it would be childish or foolish for a person to designate himself as the Leader of Biafra, President of Biafra, Prime Minster of Biafra or Head of State of Biafra. At the moment, we have a long-term Project at hand. It is the Biafra Independence Project which in my previous messages was classified into three phases, namely:
(a) Phase 1: Awareness Creation;
(b) Phase 2: Regional Government of Biafra within Nigeria; and
(c) Phase 3: Outright Independence of Biafra by a Referendum just like Scotland is doing now in Britain. I would prefer to be described and addressed as the Chairman of the Project Team. I request all the Biafrans to accept me as I am. In due course, we shall address the issue of relocating to Biafraland, if it becomes inevitably necessary, as some Biafrans have requested. Phase 1 of the Project (Awareness Creation) has been accomplished by the pioneer Biafran activists who started the independence movement in 1999 led by Chief Ralph Uwazurike and his MASSOB members, who I was informed, also established the Radio Biafra in London in or about the year 2008 and the Voice of Biafra International in the United States of America. I appeared in the Federal High Court Abuja in 2007 with the late Chief Dr Chimezie Ikeazor, SAN, (Oboli Obosi II), before the Honourable Justice Binta Nyako, to advocate for the release of Ralph Uwazurike from detention. I also visited him at Keffi Prison in Nasarawa State. I was then the spokesman and public relations officer of Igbo Lawyers Forum in Port Harcourt. Therefore, the year 2007 was when I entered into the Biafran struggle. Though the pioneers who started in 1999 split into various factions, it is my belief that the split helped to spread the message of Biafra further as each faction tried to outcompete the other. In recent times, the glorious image and honour of the body 3 known as Indigenous People of Biafra (aka IPOB) which was established under the authority of the Elders of Biafraland in 2012 with HRM the Honourable Justice Eze Ozobu OFR, as the Chairman, was damaged by some recalcitrant and abusive youths who created their own factions and brought the name of Indigenous People of Biafra to disrepute and opprobrium. Some people are worried about these splits and disagreements without understanding that it is the will of God, for even the great Apostles Paul and Barnabas who were called and ordained together by God to work as a team in Acts 13:2 also split up in their second missionary journey in Acts 15:36-41 for a divine purpose. The splits are a blessing in disguise, provided we understand how to use the splits to the advantage of Biafra instead of attacking and destroying one another. All the factions of the Biafran Independence struggle have done very well in spreading the message of Biafra and have jointly accomplished the Phase 1 of the Biafra Independence Project through their various activities. The Radio Biafra London under the leadership of Mr Nnamdi Kanu helped to create awareness of the Biafran struggle to all parts of the world, with the Biafran activists in the social media, bloggers, twitters, protesters, cartoonists, propagandists, etc. They have all done very well. All the Biafran activists who have helped in achieving the Awareness Creation Phase 1 of the struggle are greatly honoured and shall be remembered in the Chronicles and History of Biafra in due course.
The question now is this: After the awareness creation, what next? As I stated in my previous messages, the Biafra Independence Project is Teamwork. It is like a team in a football contest where the players pass the ball from one person to the other until they pass it to the player at the vantage position who will strike the ball into the goalpost to score the winning goal. It is like a relay race in athletics where the first athlete runs his part and hands the baton to the next athlete and the next to the next until the baton is handed over to the last athlete who will reach the finishing line of victory. The victory belongs to the team and not to an individual. The glory is shared by all the team players and not ascribed to one man because the player who scored the goal would not have done so if the teammate had not passed the ball to him; and the athlete who reached the finishing line with the baton would not have done so if the last athlete had not handed the baton over to him. The person who started the race may not be the person who will reach to the end but the victory belongs to all. Moses brought the Israelites out from Egypt but it was Joshua that led them into the Promised Land. We are into a spiritual movement known as national deliverance ministry, for it is the perfect will of God that all nations in bondage must be set free, and all people oppressed by the rulers of darkness in the high places of political and economic wickedness shall be delivered. God shall reward every worker in this ministry according to his works.
We are now at the Phase 2 of the Biafra Independence Project. The ball has been passed to us and the baton has been handed over to us as a team to create the Biafran Regional Government within Nigeria just like Scotland within Britain. It is teamwork with dedicated and experienced team players. Unless Nigeria disintegrates in our generation by an act of God, or by high level international politics as happened to the USSR in 1991, it will not be feasible to gain outright independence today. There shall be the Phase 3 of the Biafran Project for outright independence in the future after we finish our own part today. Our assignment is clear, namely, to create the Biafran Regional Government within Nigeria just like Scotland within Britain. We shall lay a solid foundation for our children who shall finish the work in their own generation. The Israelites were slaves in Egypt for 430 years but maintained their indigenous identity as Hebrews from generation to generation until the 5th generation when Moses was born. I am persuaded that God shall raise the Biafran team that will achieve outright independence in future. Consequently, for the Biafra Project Phase 2 to create Biafra as a Regional Government within Nigeria, it is necessary for the Project Team to have a Leader. I therefore accept to provide leadership required to actualise the Biafran Project Phase 2 and shall work under the Supreme Council of Elders of Indigenous People of Biafra which believes in the legal methodology of self-determination. We shall continue with the original vision as it was in the beginning when we created the body known as INDIGENOUS PEOPLE OF BIAFRA under Section 40 of the Nigerian Constitution and took the Federal Republic of Nigeria to Court for the independence of Biafra. As we defined in Court in Suit No FHC/OW/CS/102/2012 reconstituted in 2013 as Suit No FHC/OW/CS/192/2013, Indigenous People of Biafra are the remnants of Biafra and their descendants who were not consumed in the war between Nigeria and Biafra, now inhabiting the three contiguous geopolitical regions of the South East, parts of the South-South, and parts of the Middle Belt of Nigeria. It is not a group or a limited liability company but a nation as defined by the vision bearer. All Biafrans are Indigenous People of Biafra. It is not a cult that admits members by oaths and fetish practices. We have made it clear to the Nigerian Government that we are Biafrans by indigenous identity but Nigerians by citizenship which was forced upon us against our will. We made strong legal submission in the Federal High Court of Nigeria which the Nigerian lawyers could not impugn that what Biafra lost after the war was its sovereignty and not the identity of its people. We have therefore decided to regain our sovereignty as guaranteed by both the Nigerian law and international law. This definition of Indigenous People of Biafra in their ancestral habitation remains the definition of the Biafran territory in the Federal High Court as a nation-in-waiting which the Nigerian Government has taken judicial notice of. The actual delineation and mapping of the territory shall be done in due course and by due process. This definition covers all Biafrans. Please ignore the “Biafra maps” circulating in the social media as they have no legitimacy. We are a people inhabiting a definable geographical location but without delineation yet as a sovereign entity. We are Biafrans living in the Nigerian territory. It is our ancestral homeland forcefully 5 occupied by the Nigerian Government. We are a nation but not yet a nation-state. We are a non-legal entity which can only sue or be sued in a representative capacity. The “Indigenous People of Biafra” which was sued by the Federal Government of Nigeria and declared as “Terrorists” is the one registered as a limited liability company in the overseas and not the people in the Federal High Court in Suit No FHC/OW/CS/192/2013 in the case between Biafra and Nigeria under the leadership of the Elders. We run a Customary Government under the Nigerian Legal System. To this end, I recognise and accept all the Biafrans as Indigenous People of Biafra, whether activists or non-activists, irrespective of their political ideologies and beliefs. I consider all the factions of Indigenous People of Biafra as one body, whether described as CG-IPOB; MNK-IPOB; or DOS-IPOB, knowing that most of the Biafrans were sincere but sincerely confused and misled even unto death with their sincerity and innocence. I therefore welcome all the remnants of the Biafrans into the one-fold of the Biafran Community Government in the world as a nation-in-waiting seeking to exercise their right of self-determination to have a recognised territorial homeland in their ancestral habitat. 3. Acknowledgement: With utmost humility I appreciate and acknowledge the sacrificial works of the Elders of Biafraland who believed in my vision of self-determination by legal methodology and constituted the membership of the Supreme Council of Elders of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) in 2012. These Elders trusted me, risked their lives and stuck out their necks and signed the Legal Instrument drafted by Mekadolf Chambers, served upon the Federal Government of Nigeria for the case between Biafra and Nigeria at a time when many Elders and Igbo lawyers ran into hiding, thinking that we were mad for embarking on what they described as suicidal mission. I regard these Elders of Biafraland as the Foundation Fathers of the modern Struggle for the Independence of Biafra by legal methodology consisting of the judicial, political and diplomatic processes. They have continued in the battle of wits to set their children free from bondage despite the challenges they face in Nigeria. I will specifically mention the names of these noble and honourable Elders and Foundation Fathers including HRM and His Lordship, the Honourable Justice Eze Ozobu OFR; Dr Dozie Ikedife OON, JP; Late Brig Gen Joe Achuzia; Professor Chidi Osuagwu; Chief Barr Debe Odumegwu Ojukwu, and Rt Rev Dr Maglorious Enyioha, who put their names and signatures on the Legal Instrument authorizing Bilie Human Rights Initiative to sue the Federal Republic of Nigeria on behalf of Biafra and came out in the open to support the Biafra Independence Project without fear. I must add the names of the other Elders and Traditional Rulers who joined the Supreme Council of Elders of Indigenous People of Biafra afterwards such as HRM Eze Iheanyichukwu Nwokenna, Hon Prince Sony Edet Osom, Elder Barr Sylvester Akpan, and Elder Apostle Kalada Jene, who have continued the struggle for self-determination by legal methodology. The list will be incomplete if I fail to acknowledge the works of the President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Barr John Nnia Nwodo and the Elders 6 and Traditional Rulers who have given their support for the Biafran freedom movement by political diplomacy in line with the vision of the Movement of Biafrans in Nigeria (MOBIN) such as HRM Igwe (Amb) Lawrence Agubuzu, HRH Prince Chukwuemeka Onyesoh, Prof Uzodinma Nwala of the Alaigbo Development Foundation, Prof Mark Anikpo, and others too numerous to mention.
Moving Forward: We have stayed too long in one place since 1999 to accomplish the awareness creation phase of the Biafra Project. We cannot continue to move in circles. It is time to move forward. The Israelites had a similar experience on their way to freedom from Egypt to their Promised Land when they dwelt at the foot of Mount Horeb in the wilderness for a long time until God said they had stayed too long in one place and ordered them to move forward, Deut 1:6-8. The Biafrans must move forward now, for we have stayed too long in one place running in circles from 1999 until now with only protests for awareness creation. Street protests alone cannot achieve Biafra. Only a mad man does one thing in the same way repeatedly hoping to get a different result. Street protest which began in 1999 up to the present day has achieved its purpose. Thousands of Biafrans have died in the protests from 1999 to the present day. There is no Biafran that will die now in the protests and confrontations with the Nigerian authorities whose head would be worth more than the heads of the 3.5 million souls that died in 1967 – 1970. We must move forward now with political diplomacy, lobbying the powerful nations in the world and making friends in the international community.. There must be orderliness, decorum, respect for one another, and respect for the elders and constituted authorities in the nation as we agitate for the self-determination of Indigenous People of Biafra.
Our vision is in line with the vision of Ohanaeze Ndigbo in its call to restructure Nigeria into autonomous selfgoverning regions so that every region will be autonomous within Nigeria, governing itself and developing at its own pace just like Scotland, England, Ireland and Wales, the four countries that make up the Great Britain. We have opened up diplomatic discussions with the Governments of some World Powers who have invested heavily in Nigeria and are opposed to the break-up of Nigeria because of their economic interests. Yes, we must assure them that their interests shall be protected in Biafraland. It is a spiritual principle that where a man’s treasures are, that is where his heart shall be. The responses we have received so far concerning our quest for Regional Government are quite encouraging.
Reorganising and Restructuring the Biafra Movement: At this stage, it has become necessary to reorganise and restructure the Biafran Struggle for self-determination. I am aware that Dr Dozie Ikedife, on 30 May 2018, speaking on behalf of HRM Honourable Justice Eze Ozobu OFR, said that the Supreme Council of Elders of Indigenous People of Biafra would be expanded and requested the Biafrans to submit the names of two credible elders from their Communities and States for inclusion in the Council. The office of the Secretary of the Supreme Council of Elders is now vacant following the demise of Brig Gen Joe Achuzia. The Elders have given approval for his replacement and have nominated a credible Biafran activist from Asaba who shall be made known in due course. Many strategic changes and reorganizations are being made at the moment. The Policy Statements and Orders by the Government of Indigenous People of Biafra, Vol. 1, 2014, signed into customary administrative law on 1st September 2014 shall be amended accordingly. We request for your patience. We are gathering the Biafrans together as a nation-in-waiting, and preparing them for their independence. We are a nation with competent leaders who can sit down with the leaders of Nigeria and the international community and negotiate our freedom, eyeball to eyeball. The Biafran Struggle cannot be left in the hands of the youths and children alone. Every player has his own role to play. The youths have their role and the Elders have their role too. We need Biafran politicians, Biafran 8 diplomats, students, intellectuals, lawyers, scientists, industrialists, businessmen and women, etc, in a well-organized movement where nobody shall be tagged a saboteur for holding a different opinion. A lot has been achieved in our struggle for selfdetermination. We have created powerful structures on the ground to ensure that we achieve our goal of self-determination. Our Customary Government organizes the IPOB Biafra Town Hall meetings every month and invites all Biafrans to attend in their places of residence. Any Biafran activist who is willing to take the role as a coordinator of the Biafra Town Hall meeting in his place of residence is requested to contact us immediately. All the leaders of the various Biafran groups which believe in the legal methodology consisting of judicial, political and diplomatic processes are invited to become part of this restructured movement. Our Customary Government is known and recognised by the Government of every country where we operate including the Nigerian Government. Our political movement, MOBIN, is known and recognised by the Government of every country where we operate including the Nigerian Government. MOBIN is active in both national and international politics. We are not illegal and do not operate in hiding. We know that it is not every Biafran activist that believes in the use of law and political diplomacy to achieve independence. We plead with those who do not believe in our methodology to pray for us to succeed instead of attacking us and pulling us down. We are working as a team for the benefit of all Biafrans. Our methodology may be slow but we are sure of achieving our goal of independence for Biafra in phases. It is Biafra and Life, not Biafra or Death. We shall not die but live to declare the works of God in Biafraland. We have died enough. We are aware that all Biafrans earnestly desire freedom, whether freedom within Nigeria just like Scotland within Britain or freedom outside Nigeria just like Eritrea outside Ethiopia. We encourage all Biafrans to remain steadfast in our quest for freedom. Biafra must be free, whether within or without, but patience, longsuffering and perseverance are required. At the end, we shall overcome and the glory shall be given to our God while the joy and blessings of freedom shall belong to all the Biafrans as a team and not to an individual. It shall be well.
Emeka Emekesiri, Esq. Chairman, IPOB BIAFRA PROJECT By the authority of the Supreme Council of Elders of Indigenous People of Biafra.
At the last count,Independent Electoral Commission has registered 91 Political Parties in Nigeria and 50% of the registered Parties will always field Presidential Candidates.Outside the two major parties viz APC and PDP ,there is an ‘Izaga’ Masquerade wearing the cloth of an unknown political Party that has entered the dancing arena.The height of ‘Izaga’ is always conspicuously intimidating and no doubt ,a cynosure of all passerby. BVI Channel 1 Online could not help it but to go to the political arena in search of the new arrival.His name is Professor Kingsley Bosah Chiedu Moghalu.
Who Is Prof Kingsley Moghalu
Kingsley Moghalu is a global leader who has made contributions to the stability, progress and wealth of nations, societies and individuals across such domains as academia, economic policy, banking and finance, entrepreneurship, law, and diplomacy. As Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria from 2009-2014 he led the execution of extensive reforms in the Nigerian banking system after the global financial crisis. He was a member of the Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee that brought inflation down into single digits.
As Professor of International Business and Public Policy at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University in Massachusetts, USA he has taught, trained and inspired graduate students from more than 40 countries in North America, Europe, Africa and Asia, men and women who will go on to leadership roles in their countries in careers from business to government service, from non-profits to military intelligence.
Kingsley served as the Chairman of the Boards of Directors of the Nigerian-Export-Import Bank (NEXIM) and the Financial Institutions Training Center. He was also a Member of the Boards of Directors of the Central Bank of Nigeria, the Securities and Exchange Commission of Nigeria, the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria, and the global Alliance for Financial Inclusion (AFI).
He is the Founder & CEO of Sogato Strategies LLC, a global strategy, risk and macroeconomic advisory firm that has helped multinational corporations, global banks, private equity and asset management corporations make successful investments in emerging market countries.
Kingsley previously worked for the United Nations for 17 years, leading successful work in national reconciliation and nation-building in fractured societies, risk management and management reform in the UN, and raising billions of dollars for social investments in developing countries by The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria in Geneva.
A visionary thinker and thought leader, he is the author of several books, an international keynote speaker at industry conferences, and a frequent commentator in the global media including CNN, BBC World TV, Bloomberg, and the Financial Times.
A philanthropist, Kingsley founded the Isaac Moghalu Foundation, a non-profit organization that provides support for literacy, educational institutions, and access to education for underprivileged children in rural communities in Nigeria.
Kingsley was educated at the London School of Economics and Political Science (Ph.D., M.Phil.), The Fletcher School at Tufts University (M.A.), University of Nigeria, Nsukka (LL.B.), and the Institute of Risk Management in London, UK. He has completed executive leadership programs in economic transformation, macroeconomic management, global leadership, corporate governance, and strategy at Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard Business School, Wharton, Chicago Booth School of Business, and the International Monetary Fund Institute.
Early Life
Professor Kingsley Bosah Chiedu Ayodele Moghalu was born in Lagos on May 7, 1963. He is the first of five children. His father, Isaac Chukwudum Moghalu (now deceased) was a Nigerian Foreign Service Officer, one of a small group of promising young Nigerians inducted into the Ministry of Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs after Nigeria’s independence in 1960. His mother, Lady Vidah Chinelo Moghalu, was a schoolteacher at the Breadfruit School on Lagos Island who later became a professional dietician. Shortly after his birth, his father was posted to Geneva, Switzerland.The Moghalu family spent a year in Switzerland and then moved to Washington, DC in 1964 when Isaac Moghalu was posted to the Nigerian Embassy there. In 1967, the family returned to Nigeria and Isaac Moghalu transferred to the Eastern Region Civil Service as the Nigerian political crisis gathered strength and later snowballed into a full-scale war. Isaac Moghalu joined the Cabinet Office of the Eastern Region, and later the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Biafra. The family remained in Eastern Nigeria after the civil war ended in 1970 and Prof. Moghalu’s father later rose to become a Permanent Secretary with a strong reputation for probity. This background influenced Chiedu Moghalu’s strong value system — a sense of family honor and a family tradition of public service.
Education & Early Career
After his secondary education at Eziama High School, Aba, Government College, Umuahia, and Federal Government College, Enugu, Chiedu obtained a degree in law at theUniversity of Nigeria, Nsukka and was admitted to the Nigerian Bar in 1987. Nation Youth Service under the National Youth Service Corps as a Legal Officer atShell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) Ltd in Lagos followed. So did a subsequent three-year stint that combined law and journalism as General Counsel of Newswatch, the leading newsmagazine in Nigeria at the time, a prolific contributor to the opinion pages of The Guardian newspaper, and a special correspondent in Nigeria for several US and European newspapers including Africa News Service (forerunner of AllAfrica Global Media), South, and the Christian Science Monitor.
Chiedu left Nigeria again in 1991 for his post-graduate education at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, turning down an offer from a friend to remain in Nigeria and become the company secretary of a new generation bank that was being set up in Lagos. His sights were set squarely on a loftier dream, one that called for delayed gratification. That goal was a career in the United Nations. Moghalu was awarded the Joan Gillespie Fellowship at The Fletcher School. He obtained a master’s degree in international relations from there in 1992.Chiedu had deferred his plan to study for a Ph.D. when he was appointed into the UN after his master’s degree in 1992. A decade later, he returned to his quest for knowledge. By now a senior officer in the UN system in Geneva, he enrolled and studied part-time and obtained a Doctor of Philosophy degree in international relations at the London School of Economics (LSE) in 2005. Chiedu completed his 450-page doctoral dissertation in a record-breaking 12 months and his overall degree in 18 months.Immediately after this, he studied for and obtained the International Certificate in Risk Management at the UK Institute of Risk Management in London.Later, he received further education in macroeconomics, financial policy, and corporate governance atHarvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard Business School, and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Institute
United Nations
Armed with interdisciplinary knowledge in international economics, international law and diplomacy, and a global network of contacts, Chiedu was ready to play on the world stage. He was appointed into the UN Secretariat in 1992 by then Secretary-General Boutros-Boutros Ghali on the basis of individual merit. In the UN, Moghalu worked hard and rose through the ranks from entry level Associate Officer to the highest career rank of Director. Along the way, he handled legal, strategic planning and executive management assignments at UN Headquarters in New York and in Cambodia, Croatia, Tanzania, and Switzerland.
In 2006, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan appointed Moghalu as one of five members of the high-level Redesign Panel on the UN Internal Justice System that overhauled the regulatory compliance, accountability, and dispute resolution framework that governs the global workforce of the UN.This was a core aspect of UN management reform. This six-month special assignment was at the nominal level of Under-Secretary-General, the highest political rank in the UN below the Secretary-General.
FAMILY
Professor Moghalu is married to Mrs. Maryanne Moghalu, a lawyer and social entrepreneur, who is the Executive Director of the Isaac Moghalu Foundation that the Moghalu family established in 2005 in memory of the family patriarch Isaac Moghalu. IMOF supports educational institutions and disadvantaged children and youth with educational infrastructure such as libraries as well as scholarships. The Foundation was inaugurated at Nnewi in December 2005 by Gen. Yakubu Gowon, a former Head of State of Nigeria. Kingsley and Maryanne Moghalu have four children.
Prof. Moghalu has four siblings: Nancy Ijeoma Ijemere is a Senior Information Technology Specialist and holds a Master of Science in Information Technology from Carnegie Mellon University; Chris Moghalu, educated at Howard University, is a security expert and previously served in the US Army Military Intelligence; Robert Odi Moghalu is a US High School educator who is also an author of three books; and Chikezie Moghalu, a petroleum engineer with Chevron Corporation, and who holds a master’s degree in petroleum engineering from the University of Southern California.
Presidential Aspirant & Political Activities
Prof Kingsley Moghalu has chosen to run for president next year on the platform of the Young Progressive Party (YPP).Mr Moghalu said his choice of YPP was borne out of thorough assessment as he did not want a party with moneybags and recycled politicians.
He said he needed a party with an ideology that matches his and a structure across the country that when developed will be a good platform to win as he is in the race to win.
“I joined them (YPP) with a view to becoming their candidate and a flag bearer of the party. I wanted to be a part of a democratic movement not a polity of greed and settlement.
Femi Aribisala has this to say about Prof Kingsley Moghalu
‘ He is our very own Emmanuel Macron,a man destined to change the course of Nigeria’s political landscape.Of those who have expressed interest in seeking our vote, one man stands head and shoulders above the rest. That man is Professor Kingsley Chiedu Moghalu.Moghalu has what it takes to be Nigeria’s next president. He is experienced, but not antediluvian. He is young but not naïve. He is not a lackey of the old guard but not abhorrent to them. He has both a national and an international pedigree. Moreover, he is a visionary, very intelligent and highly driven. With Moghalu’s election as president, certain problems that have bedeviled us of recent will be things of the past. With President Moghalu, there will be no more apologetics for the murderous onslaughts of Fulani herdsmen. As a matter of fact, one of his cardinal policies is to increase the Nigeria Police from its measly 350,000 strength to 1.5 million.With President Moghalu, there will be no more agitation for the dismemberment of Nigeria. Instead, his very election will heal our wounds and calm frayed nerves. What he proposes is a return to “true federalism.” Says Moghalu: “The political and constitutional structure of Nigeria affects its economic management, in our case in a very negative manner because the potential productivity of the country’s component regions and states is suppressed by the rent-seeking politics to control absolute power at the center and dispense patronage. This is part of why constitutional restructuring for a true federalism is essential.”With President Moghalu, politics will not overshadow policy. Quoting John F. Kennedy, Moghalu insists: “Politics is too important to be left to the politicians.” He says: “It is time to act on the reality that Nigeria will not achieve economic development and transformation on the current trajectory of its politics. The present political leadership class simply does not have the skills and the background that are fit for purpose. Technocratically competent and visionary political leaders are what it will take to reposition the Nigerian economy for sustainable growth and transformation.”
His siren is an African version of Obama’s “yes we can.” Yes, we can transform our economies within a generation. Yes, we can do it without undue reliance on foreign aid. Yes, we can create our own endogenous technology without relying on the pipe-dream of technology transfers. Yes, we can renovate, innovate, and modernize by forming a nexus between politics and economics.
But now, Moghalu’s focus is firmly trained on Nigeria. In a new book, launched just this February 2018, entitled: “Build, Innovate and Grow (BIG): My Vision for Nigeria;” Moghalu presents a blueprint for his bid for the presidency. This new book is quite simply a masterpiece of innovative ideas and policy prescriptions designed to renovate, re-build and grow our economy and polity.
What you get from Moghalu is not politics but policy. That is why he needs to stay well away from the PDP and the APC; odd-jobbers mired in politics without policy. Listen very carefully to the cacophonies emerging from these two major national parties at this crunch moment in our history, and you will discover that there is no policy debate whatsoever; just a bitter and vicious struggle for power and patronage that, in the APC especially, even results in killings and assassinations.
We have had enough of this. The time is long overdue for the likes of Kingsley Moghalu to engineer a hostile takeover of Nigerian politics at the ballot box. We need to forge a new departure. What we need are men and women like Kingsley Mogahalu up and down the ballot in order to build a new Nigerian political class, a new Nigerian political culture and a new Nigerian political future.
The Nigerian electorate must come of age. We cannot continue in the failed tradition of electing leaders who don’t have a clue what government entails in 21st century Nigeria. We need to admit that the failure of government in democratic Nigeria is a failure of the electorate. We have failed to put the right people into power. We have failed to apply wisdom in the voting booth. Instead, we have opted for the stolen-monied, the charlatan, the snake-oil salesmen, the smooth-talking babalawos, and the wise-cracking ethnic jingoists.
It is past time for something different; something avant-garde; something forward-looking; something innovative and imaginative. We need something not mired in the age-old ethnic diatribes, something with a new vision and perspective, something that harnesses the latent potentials of Nigeria into our very own Unbound Prometheus. Says Moghalu: “We must create a rising tide that lifts all boats, not just those of relatives and tribesmen and women.”
Our motto today should be out with the old: in with the young. Out with the politicians: in with the technocrats. Out with the primordial: in with the cutting-edge. Out with the ethnocentric and tribalistic: in with the inclusive and nationalistic.
Look around the world we are in today, the old is making way for the new. Look at the success-stories of the African continent and you will find men and women like Paul Kagame of Rwanda, and Ameena Gurib-Fakim of Mauritius. These are the beautiful ones the likes of whom are not yet born on the Nigerian political landscape. Look farther afield and you find dynamic men like Justin Trudeau of Canada, and Emmanuel Macron of France. That is the way of the world today that still remains anathema in Nigeria to our detriment.
Not anymore! Says Moghalu: “An economy cannot be managed to progress that is beyond the vision, capacity and competence of the political leadership, regardless of how many brilliant technical economists abound in a country. If the political leadership lacks vision, is venal and focused on other priorities, sound technocrats can’t achieve very much. Their full potential contribution will be suppressed by political decisions above them, usually taken in caucuses at night in places that are not offices.”
What this means is that Nigeria needs to leap-frog into the 21st century. Our persistence in recycling old cargoes must come to an end. We cannot afford to continue to elect abject failures in the hope that somehow, they will one day succeed. We can no longer afford to elect as president politicians who are sick and ailing. We don’t need famous men who specialize in doing nothing. This is the jet age and Nigeria is lagging too far behind. We must run much faster if we are ever to stand the chance of catching up. We have no business with “go-slow.”
Since our gerontocratic oligarchs have refused to go into voluntary retirement, let us throw them all a send-off party in the 2019 election. Let us elect a completely new slate of leadership more in tune with the yearnings of our 200 million population. With the Asian tigers already on the move, let us release the Nigerian cheetahs and the lions from the reservation. It is time to renovate, innovate and be motivated. This giant called Nigeria must be woken up from its 60-year slumber.
With Moghalu, Nigeria will have a president bursting with ideas. Hear him: “The fundamental solutions to our crisis of economic growth and development lie in leadership. Not the politics-as-usual of the past, but a new kind of politics of ideas. It will take this kind of politics to produce the vision and political will to undertake the necessary economic and institutional reforms.”
“It will take this kind of politics to educate and mobilize ordinary Nigerians to new ways of economic transformation and their enlightened, collective self-interest in supporting the creation of a new economic paradigm that dramatically cuts down joblessness and poverty. It takes knowledge, which is the true wealth of nations, to even know where to begin, how to proceed, and the direction in which we should be headed.”
When was the last time you heard a speech by a Nigerian leader that was inspirational? My wife heard Moghalu speaking about his vision for Nigeria for the very first time and was mesmerized. “The man is impressive,” she concluded. This should come as no surprise. Moghalu has the pedigree and experience to bring a new dynamism to Nigerian leadership.
They thought George Weah could not win, but he is now the President of Liberia. They thought Emmanuel Macron did not have a chance, but he wiped the slate clean and became president of France with a brand-new slate of legislators.
If you are one of those doubting Thomases who thinks competent, honest and industrious men like Moghalu don’t stand a chance in Nigerian politics, just wait and see. As he continues to crisscross the country, holding town hall meetings, engaging the man-in-the-street and laying the foundation for a veritable political revolution, don’t be surprised when in February 2019, after the first run-off election in Nigeria’s political history, Kingsley Moghalu emerges as the new president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria”.
BVI Channel 1 Online can confirm that the British Government has accepted in principle a memo submitted through the House of Commons by the Biafran Diplomatic Team headed by Barr Emeka Emekesri.
In the 37-pages presentation,the memo focused on how best to free all the ethnic nationalities that make up Nigeria from slavery.The memo stated in details :’It is no secret that the case between Biafra and Nigeria has gone beyond the ability of the Nigerian Government to handle alone without the assistance of experienced countries that have passed through the same turbulent period of nation-building. The Nigeria-Biafra conundrum should be resolved peacefully and pragmatically without further delay. This Paper proffers the solution. The late Honourable Justice Chukwudifu Oputa, JSC, as he then was, made a profound statement at the Oputa Panel Hearings when he said, “Time does not heal injustice. Only truth can heal injustice.”
The agitation for independence by Biafrans stems from a feeling of injustice, marginalization, institutionalised persecution, discrimination and denial of their rights. Some unarmed Biafran youths have been so frustrated that they became restive in their quest for independence and were massacred and assassinated by the Nigerian Army and Police in cold blood. We condemn such acts of lawlessness and abuse of human rights.
The Nigeria-Biafra question can be resolved and must be resolved peacefully without further shedding of blood and disturbance of public peace. In view of the positions taken by the British Government and the French Government in recent times that they would not support the break-up of Nigeria, we have proffered a solution that will satisfy the yearnings of the Biafrans as well as keep Nigeria one in line with the official position of the British Government. It is a win-win solution where all parties will be satisfied.
We quite understand and appreciate the fears of the World Powers in the international community regarding the consequences of the possible disintegration of Nigeria. For this reason, we present this paper to the British Parliament through The Rt Hon Iain Duncan Smith MP, with the intent that it will be adopted by the British Government to resolve the seemingly intractable problems between Biafra and Nigeria based on the British Government Policy of 1969 reproduced as follows:“Our policy is based on the principle that secession is damaging both to Nigeria and to Africa as a whole… We must have regard both to the welfare of Nigeria as a whole and to the future of Africa, and to our own standing both with Nigeria and with Africa. The fact is that Nigeria needs the Ibos and the Ibos need Nigeria. Iboland is an integral part of Nigeria not just politically but geographically, commercially and in every other way. It cannot exist on its own and the minority peoples adjacent to it have no wish to be incorporated in Biafra or to be dominated by the Ibos. Any solution which stops short of recognizing this cannot last and only stores up trouble for the future…Ever since the beginning of the dispute we have taken a leading role in efforts at mediation. Ministers have had repeated discussions with both sides, most recently during the Commonwealth Conference…But there is as yet no sign of a real willingness to compromise on either side on the essential question of independence and sovereignty for Biafra, and the gap is still as wide as ever. If Nigerian unity were accepted, negotiations could concentrate on protection for the Ibos in a free and equal Nigeria; if Biafran independence were accepted, negotiations could concentrate on co-operation. But at present there is no common ground on this issue, although in reality there are strong common interests”. (The National Archives of the British Government: Memorandum by the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, the National Archives, Catalogue Reference CAB/129/140, 10th March 1969, Pp. 2 – 5)
2. Comments on the British Government Policy of 1969:
We would like to make some comments on the British Policy Statement quoted above to emphasise our submission in this paper:
(1) The first statement is on secession: “Our policy is based on the principle that secession is damaging both to Nigeria and to Africa as a whole… We must have regard both to the welfare of Nigeria as a whole and to the future of Africa, and to our own standing both with Nigeria and with Africa”. To this statement we shall emphasise that it is only secession by violence that is damaging to Nigeria and Africa but not secession by legal methodology. When the world powers and the managers of the country fail to listen to the cries of the oppressed people and proffer solution, the people will be forced to take the laws into their hands and become violent by way of civil disobedience.
It appears that the British Government Policy in 1969 regarded secession as a crime against social stability because of the violence usually associated with it. Due to the fact that many secession movements in the past had been violent leading to wars, the word “secession” seems to have acquired a new meaning in the minds of some people in the society. But strictly speaking, to secede means to withdraw from a federation or from an alliance. It is the fundamental right of a group to associate with or dissociate from another group just as an individual has the right to freedom of association. The word “independence” means being free from outside control or influence. It means self-governing, self-rule or self-determination. In effect, a group of people secedes in order to govern themselves. It is the same concept expressed in three synonyms, namely: secession, independence, self-determination. The three words mean the same thing. Law is dynamic and grows with the society. What was unlawful yesterday may become lawful today as knowledge and understanding increase from generation to generation.
(2) The second statement is on unity: “The fact is that Nigeria needs the Ibos and the Ibos need Nigeria. Iboland is an integral part of Nigeria not just politically but geographically, commercially and in every other way. It cannot exist on its own and the minority peoples adjacent to it have no wish to be incorporated in Biafra or to be dominated by the Ibos. Any solution which stops short of recognizing this cannot last and only stores up trouble for the future”. Without opposing the viewpoints of the British Government that “Nigeria needs the Ibos and the Ibos need Nigeria”, and that “Iboland cannot exist on its own”, or that “the minority peoples adjacent to it have no wish to be incorporated in Biafra or to be dominated by the Ibos”, we have decided to proffer the perfect solution where the Ibos would be in Nigeria and govern themselves as a nation within a nation without destabilizing the country so that the British Policy Statement remains correct: “Nigeria needs the Ibos and the Ibos need Nigeria”. This is why the Ibos proposed the six geopolitical regions in their Mkpoko Igbo Pre-Conference Meeting in 1994 and presented it to the National Conference organized by the General Sani Abacha Government in 1995 and it was accepted by Nigeria. The peoples described in the British Government Policy Statement as minorities adjacent to Iboland are now in their own region called the South-South Region. They are now free from the fear of domination by the Ibos.
Pursuant to this arrangement, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo sent a Memorandum to the National Assembly dated 28 June 2012 for the restructuring of Nigeria into six autonomous self-governing regions, namely: South East, South West, South South, North East, North West and North Central, as a manifestation of the Will of the People in the exercise of their right to self-determination. This is similar to the arrangement in the United Kingdom where there is devolution of power to the four nations in one, namely: England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland. The same formula was applied to devolve power to Catalonia in Spain and Kurdistan in Iraq. This political arrangement has helped in the stability and growth of the United Kingdom. It will also help in the stability and growth of Nigeria.
(3) The third statement is on the role of the British Government to mediate in the case between Biafra and Nigeria: “Ever since the beginning of the dispute we have taken a leading role in efforts at mediation. Ministers have had repeated discussions with both sides, most recently during the Commonwealth Conference…But there is as yet no sign of a real willingness to compromise on either side on the essential question of independence and sovereignty for Biafra, and the gap is still as wide as ever”. The Statement in 1969 remains valid today in 2018. There is no willingness to compromise on either side and the gap is still as wide as ever. In fact, the gap is now wider! A practical solution is needed now. The solution is devolution of power to the regions to govern themselves as autonomous regions in the One Nigeria. This is the Biafra Project we are advocating for at the moment by the use of political strategies. Some call it restructuring whilst we call it devolution of power to the regions for Regional Government. The details of the devolution shall be agreed by all the parties.
(4) The fourth statement is on national or international relations: “If Nigerian unity were accepted, negotiations could concentrate on protection for the Ibos in a free and equal Nigeria; if Biafran independence were accepted, negotiations could concentrate on co-operation. But at present there is no common ground on this issue, although in reality there are strong common interests”. History has proved that the acceptance of One Nigeria did not guarantee the protection of the Ibos in a free and equal Nigeria as the British Government had expected in 1969. There is institutionalised persecution and marginalisation of the Ibos in Nigeria. We must emphasise here that what the Biafrans lost after the war was their sovereignty and not their identity as a people. The Ibos are Biafrans, the most hated, persecuted and marginalized ethnic group in Nigeria.
3. Evidence of Institutionalised persecution of the Biafrans in Nigeria:
The atrocities committed and being committed by the Nigerian Government and its agents against the Ibos are too numerous to mention but a few will suffice here:
(1) By a Policy of Economic Strangulation, the Nigerian Government closed down all the seaports in the Eastern Nigeria which has the largest number of importers. No seaport in the East is functional. The Biafran businessmen must travel to Lagos to clear their goods.
(2) Oil wells of Iboland were carved into neighbouring States by Nigerian Government which divided Igbo villages and separated kinsmen by boundary adjustment treachery in order to deprive Iboland of its oil revenues.
(3) All Federal Government infrastructures in Iboland such as roads have dilapidated, e.g., Enugu-Onitsha Expressway and Enugu-Onitsha Old Road.
(4) All Federal Government institutions in Iboland are starved of funds including the premier University of Nigeria now with dilapidated infrastructures.
(5) Of all the geopolitical zones in Nigeria, it is only the South-East that has only five States while other zones have six and seven States thereby making The Igbo Tribe a minority in Nigerian politics, causing Iboland to lose N40billion annually, counting only from the Obasanjo days, as disclosed by Senator Annie Okonkwo representing Anambra Central, in the Sunday Sun Newspaper of January 13, 2008, at Page 49.
(6) Federal establishments such as PRODA and ANAMMCO which would have ushered industrial revolution into Nigeria have been left in ruins.
(7) Students from Iboland are cut-off with quota system formula in exams in order to admit students from States regarded as educationally disadvantaged.
(8) It is an unwritten policy in Nigeria that no Igbo man should be the Executive President of Nigeria but merely a ceremonial president like Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe or Vice President like Dr. Alex Ekwueme who would function as errand boys without executive power.
(9) Igbo businessmen and industrialists are the targets of obnoxious policies made by Nigerian Government to destroy the financial power of Iboland. The Federal Government of Nigeria uses its security forces to harass, intimidate and frustrate the Igbo businessmen in the guise of fighting against corruption. The recent case of Dr Innocent Chukwuma of INNOSON MOTORS and Guaranty Trust Bank is a classic example where the Government sent the EFCC to intimidate, harass and frustrate the only Indigenous Industry in Africa that manufactures all types of vehicles.
On 21 December 2017, Mr Femi Fani-Kayode, a former Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, a Yoruba man, wrote as follows:
THE INNOSON AFFAIR, THE IGBO AND THE ORPHANS OF THE CORPORATE WORLD
Such was his shock and anger at the turn of events that the real estate magnate and owner of the resplendent, opulent and stunningly beautiful ‘Amen Estate’ on the outskirts of Lekki in Lagos, Babatunde O. Gbadamosi, wrote the following:
“I have studied the case. I am going to withdraw ALL my funds from Guaranty Trust Bank tomorrow morning”. The basis of his angst and consternation was the plight of the proprietor of Innoson Motors at the hands of Guaranty Trust Bank, the EFCC and the Buhari administration. Babatunde’s disgust and repugnance at the way in which the bank and the EFCC behaved accurately reflects the mood and sentiment of millions of Nigerians on this matter. Yet in my view the matter goes much further and deeper than just GTB and the EFCC. They are simply willing puppets, tiny minions and minor players in a much bigger game and a much wider picture. Permit me to cross the “t”s, dot the “i”s, consider the background and look at the facts. In the last one year alone no less than three prominent Igbo businessmen have been arrested, humiliated and detained by the Buhari administration. All three are major employers of labour who fared extremely well under the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan and whose companies have become household names. The first is Cletus Ibeto of Ibeto Cement, a humble, charming, hard-working, low-profile and exceptionally profound and insightful man who I met when I was in detention last year. The second is the ebullient, young and vocal Ifeanyi Uba of Capital Oil and Gas, who later joined politics and who was indeed a member of President Goodluck Jonathan’s campaign organisation in 2015 where we worked closely together. The third is Innocent Chukwuma, the owner of Innoson Motors whose company is the only one in Nigeria that produces cars, who I am told is an absolute gentleman and whom I have never met. These three men are amongst the five biggest and most prominent Igbo businessmen in the country today. The remaining two are Arthur Eze of Atlas Oronto Petroleum International and Emeka Offor of Chrome Oil both of whom have done very well but that have also had their own fair share of persecution and travails over the years. I made a point of doing the research in the cases of Chukwuma, Ibeto and Uba and why they were having issues with the EFCC and the SSS respectively and I came to the conclusion that not only had they done nothing wrong but they were being targeted simply because they were perceived as being “Jonathan men”, because they were deemed as being sympathetic to the PDP, because they were Igbo and finally simply out of envy from ruthless competitors. Given that it came as no surprise to me when, just yesterday morning, I was informed that Chukwuma’s home was raided and tear-gassed by the EFCC and he was arrested and detained in what can only be described as brutal and questionable circumstances. I was reliably informed that officers of the EFCC and the Nigerian Police not only injured many in his home but that they also slapped his wife. Never mind that he was later reportedly offered bail after what can only be described as a gruelling and harrowing period of torment and trauma: the fact is that his home should never have been raided and he should never have been arrested, detained and subjected to this brutal affront and indecorous indignity in the first place. Such was my concern for him and the way in which the security forces had behaved at his home that I was constrained to post the following on both my twitter handle and Facebook page on that same day. I asked, “Why should anybody be surprised about the arrest of the owner of Innoson Motors? They did the same to Cletus Ibeto about a year ago. These people come from the “wrong” part of the country and they are providing a service and employment for Nigerians. They must be punished for it!” I went further by offering some gentle and wise counsel to an old and dear friend by also posting the following: “I have known the MD of GTB, Segun Agbaje and his two older brothers, Femi and Jimi, for close to 40 years and I have immense respect and deep affection for them. I urge him not to expose himself to the shark infested waters of politics by allowing himself to be used by these barbarians to destroy Innoson. If he does he will regret it”. Yet it does not stop there. The matter goes much deeper and further than just the travails of Innocent Chukwuma of Innoson Motors or indeed those of Cletus Ibeto and Ifeanyi Uba. It goes to the very heart and foundation of the fundamental problem of what Nigeria has been turned into by those who believe that they own her. It touches on the nationality question, the quest and struggle for equal rights and opportunities for the various ethnic nationalities that make up Nigeria and the unofficial and unannounced policy of the Buhari administration to treat southerners as slaves and to discredit, crush and malign any Igbo person who aspires to excellence and greatness and who is a source of pride and inspiration to their people. To those that doubt this grave assertion I have one question to ask: can they, under ANY circumstances, imagine or envisage Aliko Dangote of the Dangote Group or Abdul Samad Rabiu of the BUA Group, both of whom are highly successful, extremely wealthy and very well-known northern Muslim Hausa-Fulani businessmen, being treated in this way by ANY Nigerian government let alone one like Buhari’s that was established by the Fulani and solely for the interests of the Fulani? The answer to the question is a resounding “no”. Yet for the southern businessman and particularly for the Igbo one the rules are very different and the treatment that they get from the government and its security agencies are a world apart. As a matter of fact they are unfairly deemed and insidiously labelled as the “fatherless ones” and the “orphans of the corporate world” simply because they are on their own and they have no favour or protection from government. It is clear that any Igbo man that has the temerity and the fortitude to shine and to rise up by dint of conviction, vision, passion and hard work must be humiliated, demonised and denigrated. The story and the theme appear to be a never-ending one and it touches on all spheres of human endeavour in Nigeria. The policy, principle and practice is the same: as long as you are Igbo you are in trouble and in order to survive you must sing the praises of the Buhari administration, bow and grovel to the Fulani, accept your servitude and slavery with stoic ignominy and “bend the knee. In the field of the struggle for self-determination and the quest for the establishment of the independent and sovereign state of Biafra the powers that be did it to the great Nnamdi Kanu, to his IPOB and to MASSOB. In the field of business they have done it to the Chukwumas, the Ubas and the Ibetos of this world. In the field of partisan politics they have done it to countless Igbo elders and leaders who have refused to bow to the Fulani hegemony that the Buhari administration represents. In the field of the Armed Forces, the Nigerian Police Force and the various security and intelligence agencies they have done it as countless Igbo career officers have either been denied promotion and operational command or they have been prematurely retired. Yet all this pales before the fact that thousands of young Igbo men and women have been secretly slaughtered, have been subjected to mass murder and genocide and have been buried in mass graves by agents of the Buhari government and security forces over the last two years and six months. I have written about this over and over again simply because I believe that an attack on the Igbo is an attack on the whole of the south and is indeed an attack on humanity and all right-thinking people. It is also an attack on the Christian faith of which I am a member because virtually every single one of the 50 million Igbos in Nigeria are Christians whilst those that are waging this unofficial and undeclared war against them are predominantly Muslims. That is why the meeting between the Igbo and the Yoruba leaders slated for January 11th in Enugu, under the auspices of Nzuko Umunna and which will be attended by the Obi of Onitsha, the Ooni of Ife, Afenifere, Ohanaeze and all the key Igbo and Yoruba leaders, intelligentsia and politicians from all sides of the political divide is so crucial. The Igbo and the Yoruba must set aside our differences, look at these matters, speak the bitter truth, come together and agree on how to move forward and protect our collective interest. Whichever way it goes and whatever happens the matter shall come to an expected end because the God of Heaven will not sit by idly and allow this injustice and wickedness to go on for much longer. I say this because the blood of the innocent cries to Him in heaven for vengeance and sooner or later He will hear their cry and both deliverance and judgement shall come. In the meantime when I heard about the injustice that Innoson and his family had been subjected to I wrote the following words which came to my spirit and which burn in my soul right up until this very moment. It is a heart-felt and powerful lamentation and it reflects the way virtually every right-thinking and sensitive southerner feels and thinks today about what is happening in Nigeria even though they may be too scared to voice it: “O Igbo what have you done to the sons of Futa Jalon? Why do the heathens rant and rage? Why do the cow-loving aliens and foreign invaders seek to subjugate you and wipe you off the face of the earth? In silent whispers they claim that they have cursed you, that you are not fit to rule or lead and that they hate you with a perfect hatred. Yet in 1966 you saw all this coming. You warned us about what would happen and you tried to do something about it. Sadly we would not listen and we laughed you to scorn. You saw what we never saw. You knew what we never knew. You suffered what we never suffered and you shed the tears that we never shed. 51 years later nothing has changed. They still kill you and rape your women. Only now they have widened the circle and it is no longer just you. They have enslaved the rest of us as well. They kill us too and rape our women. Those of us from the South West, South South and the Middle Belt that joined forces with them to kill you and starve your children to death have now been turned into their slaves and serfs. They kill us too and rape our women as well. They also take our land, shame our children and hate and denigrate our faith. Yet we look on sheepishly and helplessly all in the name of keeping the peace and political correctness: we accept our pitiable plight and we suffer in silence. The Bible asks, “What can flesh do to me?”, yet we ignore this divine injunction and Holy Scripture and bow our heads in trepidation and shame. Our men have become women and we mask our accursed fear of death, destruction and incarceration and our inexplicable awe of our collective oppressors with a shameful and cowardly smile. We readily accept every shame, every insult, every indignity and every act of savagery, brutality, barbarity and callousness that they inflict on us all for the sake of an illusionary, ephemeral, undefined and far-fetched concept known as “One Nigeria” which bears false and delusionary pretentions and claims of nationality and nationhood. We even thank our collective oppressors and captors and we rejoice with them when they denigrate our faith and when they slaughter our children and our beloved in the fields and in the streets. O Southern Nigeria: who has bewitched you? Cowardice is thy name”. May God deliver us! ” (Femi Fani-Kayode 2017) (10) Mr. Femi Fani-Kayode, a Yoruba man and former Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, has said it all. His testimony proves the institutionalised persecution of the Ibos in Nigeria. In his lamentation, he said with tearful heart to the Ibos as follows: “Those of us from the South West, South South and the Middle Belt that joined forces with them to kill you and starve your children to death have now been turned into their slaves and serfs. They kill us too and rape our women as well. They also take our land, shame our children and hate and denigrate our faith. Yet we look on sheepishly and helplessly all in the name of keeping the peace and political correctness:
An Owerri magistrate’s court has ordered that 114 pro-Biafra women who were arrested by operatives of the Imo State Police Command during a peaceful protest last Friday be remanded in prison. The women, who were suspected to be members of the proscribed Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) were charged with conspiracy to commit felony by the Imo State police commissioner.
Ifeanyi Ejiofor, lead counsel for the IPOB women, said: “We had come to the court today to take the arrested women on bail so that they could be coming to the court from their respective homes whenever the case comes up. But the magistrate said that they were charged for conspiracy to commit felony, CAP 41 of the Criminal Code, and that she lacks the jurisdiction to try the matter and then adjourned the case for September 3, 2018, and ordered that they be remanded in the police custody.
“We are now left with no other option but to challenge the matter at the high court.”
The youth wing of Ohanaeze Ndigbo has condemned the assault on Igbo women who were on peaceful protest in Owerri, Imo State, by security agents, describing it as cruel and barbaric.
The group warned that its members will no longer tolerate a similar situation, in which Igbo land is besieged and stampeded by the army, police and the Department of State Services (DSS), in a bid to arrest and silence Igbo people, who have not committed any crime.
The Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Wing, Okey Nwachukwu, who addressed newsmen in Umuahia yesterday, said it was against all conventional laws for peaceful protesters to be attacked, humiliated and ruthlessly treated like criminals.
“Igbo youths categorically state that any further attacks on our people will be resisted, and we urge President Muhammadu Buhari to, as a matter of necessity, call security agencies to order,” he said.
The youth group asked security agencies to direct their focus on dealing with the Fulani herdsmen terrorising the country instead of trampling on human rights of Igbo sons and daughters.
In a related development, the Igbo youths also reiterated their stand to resist any attempt to discredit, intimidate or harass the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu and other notable Igbo sons and daughters.
I have just read the attached Press Release from your Office lamenting the renewed hostilities between Ohaneze Ndi Igbo and the Indigenous People of Biafra IPOB.
I have listened carefully to many of your speeches and I am impressed by your understanding of the issues. Inside me, I do not believe that you and many of the Igbo leaders in Ohaneze deliberately mean any harm to the Igbo people. I can confidently say that you have intended to play the role of a father trying to protect his children from harm.
But you realise that you must be seen to be doing that and that intentions are not enough.
But your greatest failing has been in communication. You have been called upon to lead Igbo people at one of the most critical periods in our history second only to the period of the Genocidal War against Biafra. It was not a civil war. There was nothing civil about that war. As you know too well, the Igbo people are facing a battle for our very survival as a people. The level of hatred against the Igbo person has now exceeded 1966 levels. We face a daily barrage of abuse both in the North and West. We have totally been excluded from the running of the affairs of Nigeria. This is probably the only case in history where decisions affecting fifty million people are made without their participation. Our people are being suffocated from every direction.
The whole Igboland has been turned into one huge concentration camp with military and police checkpoints every other mile. Our people are being harassed and humiliated on a daily basis. Just yesterday, women carrying out a peaceful demonstration in Owerri for the release of IPOB Leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and his elderly parents and for Biafran Referendum were shot at, subjected to tear gas, huddled to the bushes and subjected to indignities. Those women are our mothers and wives and sisters. The irresponsible reaction of the police could easily have sparked an inferno that could have spread far and wide. It is becoming increasingly difficult to appeal to the younger generation to turn the other cheek when they are slapped. Demonstrators who are not causing any violence should be left alone.
Just three days ago, thirty-eight partly decomposed bodies of very healthy Igbo youths probably all in their late teens and twenties were discovered dumped in the bushes following the military invasion of Igboland last September 2017. Hundreds of unarmed Igbo youth were massacred during that invasion. Those young men were unarmed and plying the badly dilapidated roads of Igboland trying to eke out a living for themselves and their families. Those young men were mostly graduates without any jobs. And the response of President Buhari and his army was to kill them after torture fully documented and cut short their lives even before they had started. Young disaffected Northern youths going by the name Boko Haram who are heavily armed with AK47s and rocket launchers are as much as possible captured, disarmed, detained and soon after released by the same army. Why are Igbo youth being massacred with impunity? Does Igbo life not matter to anybody?
You can easily see why the young men of Igboland and indeed Biafra are very disconnected from the Nigerian state and very unhappy. The evils perpetrated by the Nigerian state against the Igbo people and Biafra are many. Biafra yes and there is nothing strange or new about that name. The Portuguese were the first Europeans to come to our part of the world in the 14th Century. When they came, they met a vast stretch of land referred to as Biafra. Biafra stretched from the confluence of Rivers Niger and Benue to the North, the Kumba Region in Western Cameroon to the East, the Atlantic Ocean and Equatorial Guinea to the South and the land inhabited by the Yoruba tribe to the West. They called the Gulf they discovered there the Gulf of Biafra. This Gulf guided explorers for centuries. Gowon and Obasanjo renamed it as the Gulf of Bonny to their eternal shame. This brief history explains why the Portuguese sided with Biafra, truth and justice in 1967 notwithstanding the odds against Biafra.
As matters stand, Igbos are fearful for their lives outside Eastern Nigeria. Even in Igboland, Fulani herdsmen are threatening to attack at anytime. Simultaneously, the Nigerian Army are threatening to resume their invasion of Igboland. At present, Igbos are completely at the mercy of of these Fulani soldiers. Igbos have no protection whatsoever. The determination of the Fulani to takeover Igboland with maximum force, seize our lands and Islamise us is real and in full gear. This same Fulani people have had this agenda of conquest all along while we were fooled and cajoled into believing in One Nigeria.
Both you and I must express our appreciation to our youth represented by IPOB for the peace and decorum with which they have conducted themselves. There is hardly a country where they are not represented and yet not one incident or violence has been reported over the years notwithstanding very serious provocation by Nigerian security forces, police and unprovoked attack by the military against IPOB and its Leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu in which so many people were massacred and himself and his elderly parents taken to unknown destinations till this day.
It is sad to note that neither yourself nor the leadership of Ohaneze raised any voice to protect your children from cold blooded massacre. Instead, you maintained your silence which could easily be interpreted as a tacit support for the massacre. I was personally shocked at your silence and the silence of the governors of the so called South East. That alone amounted to an abomination in Igboland, to be seen to side with the murderers of hundreds of your children. To make a terrible situation unbearable, the same Nigerian Army invited you and the governors to a meeting in Enugu which issued a statement that IPOB had been proscribed. This was too insensitive.
You can see why the young men and women are unhappy with the role Ohaneze has played or neglected to play. It is not enough that you love the Igbo. You must be seen by your actions that you love the Igbo.
When Lord Harcourt and Lord Lugard amalgamated Northern and Southern Nigeria on 1st January 1914, it was for British Colonial convenience and their desire to pass the financial burden of running Northern Nigeria to Southern Nigeria since Northern Nigeria had nothing. That burden has now continued for one hundred and four years. Is that state of affairs going to continue indefinitely? Would the North have accepted Amalgamation for this long if the parasitic relationship was reversed? In any event, the Amalgamation Proclamation itself stated that it would last for one hundred years. That period expired on 1st January 2014. Therefore, morally, legally and in every respect, our people have a right to demand Independence.
It is unhelpful that the Fulani and their misguided supporters believe that brute force can be used to hold seventy million people down and keep us in Nigeria against our will. We have contributed more than any other group to make One Nigeria work. We have lost six and a half million people to make One Nigeria work. But One Nigeria is not working. One Nigeria has never worked. One Nigeria will never work. The reason is simply because the Fulani idea of One Nigeria is totally different from our own idea of One Nigeria.
The Fulani think and have declared in no uncertain terms and acts that One Nigeria means one Nigeria that they have conquered from the Sahel to the Atlantic. To the Fulani, One Nigeria means unfettered access to our ancient ancestral lands to build new Fulani cities, instal their Emir and subjugate the native population to the Sokoto Caliphate and replace Christianity with Islam and our legal system with Sharia Law. That is their idea of One Nigeria and it does not in any way resemble our idea of One Nigeria. The Fulani will never give up this vision. They see Igboland as the only obstacle they have to the sea. They are impatient to conquer Igboland and invite the Fulani Confraternity in West Africa to come and join them in their latest conquest.
You are a learned man Chief Nwodo. You understand these matters. You know that is what they did in Hausa land and completely destroyed Hausa identity. They did the same in Kwara. These things are historical facts.
Now, Chief Nwodo, do you want Igboland to be the next? You can easily see that the consequences of what is happening today are too far reaching to be taken lightly or to be reduced to talk about your image and reputation and how they are being ‘tarnished’ by IPOB. I wouldn’t mind my image tarnished a thousand times if my people become free in the process.
Chief Nwodo, there was a time Igbo people could consider restructuring but that time has passed. It would be suicidal to consider that option when we have become fully aware of the Fulani Agenda of Conquest. That option will merely buy a little time and postpone the days of evil being unleashed upon our children.
What the Igbo people want is the ability to protect our frontiers, to protect our territorial waters, to protect our airspace, to make our own laws, to practice the religion of our choice, to decide the content of the education our children receive, to take responsibility for the infrastructural development of Igboland and to decide who our external friends would be. We just want to be free. What is so terrible about that?
So many nations have divided along homogeneous lines and released all the energy previously consumed by distrust, hate, rivalry and endless conflict. Our case is not unique in any way. Self determination is a sacred article of the United Nations Charter. We the people of Igboland and Biafra have decided to invoke that Article and assert our rights under it. I am mindful of your declaration in Lagos in 2017 to fight against this Objective.
As the name Ohaneze implies, the Oha comes first before the Eze. In Igboland, the Eze follows the people unlike in some other cultures. What you consider right has become so radically opposed to what your people want. Even God told Samuel to listen to the people of Israel and give them what they wanted, that is, a king. You have already given our people your best. You must do the honourable thing now and step aside forthwith with your entire executive. A new Igbo leadership is urgently needed to steer the Igbo ship during these turbulent times. That new leadership must unite behind IPOB because the Igbo people need to speak with one voice.
I have always restrained from joining issues in the media with Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and this is based on my respect for him. However, I will not allow him to create a wrong, false and mischievous impression about the reasons for my decision to exit the All Progressives Congress (APC) and present his prejudice as facts for public consumption.
I have been consistent in my complaints to all leaders of the APC, including Tinubu, that a situation where the National Assembly is not constructively engaged or carried along in key policy decisions, particularly those that will eventually require legislative approval, is not in the best interest of the nation. No genuine leader of the legislature will be comfortable that the Presidency will simply write a terse letter to the National Assembly on key issues which the federal legislature is expected to later deliberate upon and give its approval. The Buhari administration consistently treats the legislature with contempt and acts as if the lawmaking body should be an appendage of the Executive. To me, this is unacceptable.
In the same way, I find it very objectionable that many stakeholders who worked strenuously to get the administration into office have now been excluded in the government and not consulted on key decisions as necessary and expected. In fact, some of them are treated as pariahs. A party that ignores justice, equity and inclusion as basic pre-conditions for peace, unity and stability cannot sustain its membership and leadership.
Let me redirect the attention of the former Governor of Lagos State to the aspect of my July 31, 2018, statement announcing my exit from APC in which I emphasized that the decision “has been inescapably imposed on me by certain elements and forces within the APC who have ensured that the minimum conditions for peace, cooperation, inclusion and a general sense of belonging did not exist”.
In that statement, I further noted that those APC elements “have done everything to ensure that the basic rules of party administration, which should promote harmonious relations among the various elements within the party were blatantly disregarded. All governance principles which were required for a healthy functioning of the party and the government were deliberately violated or undermined. And all entreaties for justice, equity and fairness as basic precondition for peace and unity, not only within the party, but also the country at large, were simply ignored, or employed as additional pretext for further exclusion. The experience of my people and associates in the past three years is that they have suffered alienation and have been treated as outsiders in their own party. Thus, many have become disaffected and disenchanted. At the same time, opportunities to seek redress and correct these anomalies were deliberately blocked as a government-within-a-government had formed an impregnable wall and left in the cold, everyone else who was not recognized as “one of us”. This is why my people, like all self-respecting people would do, decided to seek accommodation elsewhere”.
Tinubu himself will recall that during the various meetings he had with me at the time he was pursuing reconciliation within the APC, I raised all the above issues. I can also vividly recall that he himself always expressed his displeasure with the style of the government and also mentioned that he had equally suffered disrespect from the same government which we all worked to put in office. I also made the point that whatever travails I have gone through in the last three years belong to the past and will not shape my decisions now and in the future.
However, during those meetings, the point of disagreement between Tinubu and I is that while I expressed my worries that there is nothing on ground to assure me that the administrative style and attitude would change in the next four years in a manner that will enable us to deliver the positive changes we promised to our people, he (Tinubu) expressed a strong opinion that he would rather ‘support a Buhari on the hospital stretcher’ to get a second term because in 2023, power will shift to the South-west. This viewpoint of Tinubu’s was not only expressed to me but to several of my colleagues. So much for acting in national interest.
It is clear that while my own decision is based on protecting the collective national interest, Tinubu will rather live with the identified inadequacies of the government for the sake of fulfilling and preserving his presidential ambition in 2023. This new position of Tinubu has only demonstrated inconsistency — particularly when one reviews his antecedents over the years.
Again, let me reiterate my position that my uncertain and complex relationship with Tinubu has been continually defined by the event of 2014 when myself and other leaders of the APC opposed the Muslim-Muslim ticket arrangement about to be foisted on the APC for the 2015 polls. It should be noted that he has not forgotten the fact that I took the bull by the horns and told him that in the interest of the country, he should accept the need for the party to present a balanced ticket for the 2015 General Elections in terms of religion and geo-political zones. Since that time he has been very active; plotting at every point to undermine me, both within and outside the National Assembly.
It is a surprise to me that Asiwaju Tinubu is still peddling the falsehood about the fact that my defection is about automatic ticket and sharing of resources. Members of the public will recall that when the issue of my decision to quit APC came to the fore and many APC leaders were holding meetings with me, a newspaper owned by the same Tinubu published a false report about the promise of automatic tickets, oil blocks and other benefits. I immediately rebutted their claims and categorically stated that I never discussed any such personal and pecuniary benefits with anybody. My challenge that anybody who has contrary facts should come forward with them still remains open.
It should be known that Democracy is a system that allows people to freely make their choices. It is my choice that I have decided to join others to present a viable alternative platform for Nigerians in the coming elections. Tinubu and leaders of the APC had better respect this decision or lawfully deal with it. As for me, Allah gives power to whom He wishes. Human beings can only aspire and strive to fulfill their aspirations.
Signed:
Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, CON President of the Senate
