WHY BIAFRA AND NOT A CONFEDERAL NIGERIA

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The language is plain enough for all to understand what Biafran advocates want but it seems like some people still fail to comprehend it. For those who fail to get the message it may bear repeating over and over again. We, Biafrans want a clean-cut separation from Nigeria; free, independent and sovereign state, doing our own things our own way. That is simple enough and it is the language of self actualization, Self Determination and that is the language we speak. Some people seem to feel uncomfortable, even disappointed with that but we actually careless about those people’s feelings. We are the ones who are hurting from our continued association with Nigeria and are knowledgeable enough to know what is good for us and our children and we have made our choice.

Sometimes we feel that some people fail to understand our message not because it is not plain enough but because for so long most people have come to expect to be entertained or just “educated” with the story of a Biafra that once was. So in that way these people feel more comfortable with just reading or learning for mere entertainment or academic exercise rather than reading for inspiration and resolving to take personal responsibility. For such ones they would rather that all talks about Biafra stop at talking of what could have been or about the old glories and accomplishments of Biafra while she lasted. But the truth is that Biafra Story cannot stop at mere historical rhetoric and nostalgia. Nothing can be more sacrilegious than that. There was Genocide and it is still on-going. 3.1 million Igbo/Biafrans were murdered by Nigeria and Nigerians. So, who wants to be regaled and entertained with such horror? Such story can only call for moral and conscientious action from all readers and hearers.


Biafra advocates have no reason to stop short of asking the readers to take up arms of every kind to fight against the Nigerian state so as to free Biafra and her people from the unnecessary entrapment in the noxious one-Nigeria. Some have even argued that we should wait and that somehow when Nigeria disintegrates then every part of the demonic union can go its own separate way just like that. But the question is why waiting for what you can have now. Without meaning to sound cliché, every delayed justice will always be equated with one that is denied. There is no Biafra advocate who is interested in any idle gawker who just wants to watch and sometimes squirm in “pity” at the misfortunes of others. Biafra advocates are not out to entertain any reader. The Biafran Story is too sad to serve that purpose. Genocide is involved and no sane person will be talking about the unjust murder of 3.1 million children, women and men and expect to leave the hearers refreshed and made comfortable, then go home and have sweet dreams. No, every reader is expected to become active in this fight against Nigeria to obtain justice for those murdered human beings. It is only a sadist who would remain indifferent or worse still just feel warmed and “educated” and still do nothing actively to right the wrong done to Biafra and Biafrans. We therefore implore all to get involved because we are all members of the same one-world community.


Considering the enormity and gravity of this genocidal crime it tends to beat the imagination of how some of the direct victims of the heinous crime have erroneously tried to equate their cowardice in the face of this injustice with “education and civility”. But Biafra advocates are educated and civilized enough to know the difference. They know the difference between the courageous and sincere willingness to solve a problem and the exhibition of mere infantile eagerness to appease those who are browbeating you into thinking and acting according to their pleasure at the pain and suffering of our people which is as a result of remaining any additional second in Nigeria. It does not matter how highly or lowly placed you are, every person of Igbo/Biafran extraction had been and is still being affected by Nigeria’s evil and unconscionable destruction of Igbo/Biafra’s future and you can and should fight back in every way that you can both individually and collectively. Those in politics and positions of leadership must show boldness, wisdom and leadership. They must champion the lead to take their people out of the one-Nigerian entrapment. It is their moral duty as leaders of the people. They should advocate through legislations, negotiations and through all other means. This is the era of Self Determination. South Sudan just did that. The rest of the world is waiting for Biafra and the time is now.


Genuine Biafra advocates are not fussy and will not leave you guessing as to what they want. All advocates for Biafra are honest and sincere and will not talk about a confederating or any “true federal” Nigeria because they know that such is cowardice, half-measures and outright stupidity. Why should anyone federate with peoples with whom they cannot see eye to eye or whose world view is a world apart from theirs? It is nothing short of intellectual cowardice. Such is not different from what General Emeka Ojukwu, Joe Achuzie and some others who fought for Biafra and later seem to be capitulating and apologizing by their words and actions in trying so hard to convince Nigerians that they never meant to break up Nigeria. Such people scandalously will want to convince the people that they are trying to reintegrate Igbo/Biafrans into the Nigerian polity. But who wants to be integrated into an abomination anyway? We want to break up Nigeria. It is that simple. Nigeria has no merit of existence, having killed so much of our people. Biafra has always and will always want to break away from Nigeria.


The pathetic Nigerian apologists claim they were pushed to secede from Nigeria because of the pogrom visited on their people in 1966. What a lame excuse and one that smells of cowardice. That is nothing short of saying sorry to Nigeria for killing Igbo/Biafra people without any justification. True Biafrans will never entertain such absurd sacrilege and unforgivable stupidity. There will never come a day that Biafrans will be sorry for leaving Nigeria. The decision was deliberate in the sense that the abhorrent event of 1966 where the government and people of Nigeria deliberately murdered tens of thousands of Igbo/Biafran people happened and, the people chose to go away from Nigeria in an act of deliberate Self Determination and that decision is final and forever and can neither be regretted nor reversed.

For the sake of those who choose to remain in perpetual confusion it will be necessary to let them know that the truce is over. The truce between Biafra and Nigeria that lasted from 1970 ended some ten years ago and we are well on our way to regaining our sovereignty as free and independent Biafra and Biafrans. Therefore, no one needs remain in doubt as to what Biafra advocates want: We want out of Nigeria. We are not interested in any form of confederacy or any such thing. When we talk of restructuring Nigeria we mean a complete break up of the union, or at least we the Biafrans want to opt out of Nigeria and be separated as an independent and sovereign nation. We have no interest in any kind of “weak or strong center” of a Nigeria that we are part of. That is what we need and we are neither ashamed nor sorry for wanting that, it is our wish and our right and we feel very proud of Biafra.

Written by Osita Ebiem.

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