Customary Government of IPOB is worried that not few of our people have not come to terms the need to restore our indigenous identity which was stolen by foreign interest groups with internal collaborators .Our various town hall meeting(s) across Biafraland have shown that knowledge gaps abound .There are people who still see the name Biafra as war.There are others who are afraid of losing their properties outside Biafraland.Others are merely afraid of unknown or unfavourable change of status.
Customary Government of IPOB wishes to reassure all Biafrans that the coming of a new nation-Biafra is the last hope for black race.CG-IPOB is not unaware that over 60% of privately-owned investments throughout Nigeria are owned by Ndiigbo. While we should not congratulate Igbo nation for being so egalitarian in universalism, it is equally necessary to diffuse the blackmail the campaign for Biafra restoration is being subjected as a result of that. Many people have felt very comfortable to remind pro-Biafran agitators that one of reasons to forget Biafra is because of Igboman’s investments outside Igboland. Sometimes it is said that if a lie is said repeatedly for long and unchallenged, it may be accepted to be true. It is important to remind these agents of retrogression that wish to keep Biafrans bound in Nigeria that under international laws and conventions no country has right to confiscate property of anybody without going through normal legal processes.
From benefit of history, Nigerian government had use indigenization policy to drive away foreign holds on some investments owned by foreigners immediately after the war. Nigeria also enacted what was called ‘abandoned property’ policy to encourage ‘brothers’ to steal the properties of their Igbo brothers in Rivers State. The later was done in order to help increase the gulf of disunity between Igbo and their immediate neighbors and brothers. Nigeria, through this, planned and successfully dis-stablize cohession and introduce suspicion amongst Biafran brothers. Well, it was possible because Biafra was ‘defeated’ and reabsorbed into Nigerian state. Nobody would have done that inside a sovereign Biafra state. Today Biafrans are Nigerian citizens and can only loose such citizenship right on denunciation. Right now Nigeria, has not abolished dual citizenship of her nationals.
The Public should note that even after Biafra restoration, Biafrans wishing to, can still retain their Nigerian citizenship and reside and do business in Nigeria as free citizens. In that sense he/she will be expected to obey Nigerian Islamic laws and be affected by the Nigerian làws equally as any other person in the country. These laws should include làws on ownership of property. For example today in United State and elsewhere, all citizens equally enjoy the same protection of the laws including our brothers that are also American citizens. Therefore nothing should prevent a Biafran-Nigerian citizen residence in Kano from being affected equally as any other Kano residents if he chose to use his Housing Estate for an Islamic School. The truth is that even as Biafrans do business in Nigeria, Nigerians will be doing business in Biafra. This is why we are against any pro—Biafran group wiping up hate campaign against Nigerians and Nigerian leadership. After all,USA and Britain once fought a war for/against American Independence. Today the two nations are best of friends. Biafra and Nigeria should exist side-by-side às good neighbors. Nobody gains anything with war-ring or hostile neighbors.
Customary Government of IPOB has established all the diplomatic contacts and still opening new diplomatic frontiers to ensure that powerful Nations are carried along in this sacred mission to restore Biafra. The truth remains that no Biafran property will be confiscated by Nigeria if Biafra is restored.
Ndubuisi Anaenugwu
Director-Directorate of Information,CG-IPOB
