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Sunday, May 22, 2016
IPOB: Biafra not for Igbo alone
~The SUN, Nigeria. Friday, May 20, 2016
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has said the Biafraland is beyond the areas occupied by the Igbo-speaking people of the country.
The group stated that Biafra land spans from Itsekiriland on the western boundary with Oduduwa to Bakassi on the eastern boundary with the Cameroons, also stretched from Idoma and Igala land on the northern boundary with Arewa or Northern Nigeria to the Bight of Biafra which is South of the beautiful island of Bonny.
A statement by the spokespersons of IPOB, Mr. Emma Nmezu and Dr. Clifford Chukwuemeka Iroanya noted that in the present-day contraption called Nigeria, the nation of Biafra consists of Abia, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Enugu, Imo, and Rivers states as well as Igbanke in Edo State, Igala in Kogi State, and Idoma in Benue State.
It stated that the footprints of Biafra above showed that the great nation is not populated by only the Igbo-speaking people, noting that the last head of state and commander-in-chief of Biafra was not from the Igbo-speaking area of Biafraland.
According to the spokespersons, "During the war of genocide levied on Biafra by Nigeria and Britain, there were brave Biafran soldiers, field commanders, scientists, civil servants, technocrats, musicians/artists, and astute journalists/broadcasters who were not from Igbo-speaking areas of Biafraland.
"Biafra is a nation where different languages are spoken but irrespective of the varying languages, the people have a common value system, four market days, and a unique traditional clothing (two-piece wrapper) for every Biafran woman. It is instructive to note that Igbo is just one of the languages in Biafraland. Even the Igbo language has different dialects as someone travels from one community to the other or from one state to another state.
"Biafra is not about the Igbo alone but Biafra is a blessed nation of people with common value system. The public must ignore and stay away from anyone or group that equates Biafra with Igbo. The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) is not for only Igbo-speaking people and will never be for only Igbo-speaking people," the spokespersons asserted.
Not all Biafrans are Igbo
Meanwhile, IPOB, under the leadership of Nnamdi Kanu has commended the position of Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) and the Mightier Egbesu Fraternity of the ultimatum given to the Government and Buhari to release its leader,Kanu and the former national security adviser to the former president, Jonathan Col. Dasuki Sambo (retd) within two weeks unconditionally as court said.
The Media and Publicity Secretary of IPOB, Mr. Emma Powerful, in a release said the two groups gave the ultimatum to release the duo after they looked into the matter and discovered that the two courts of competent jurisdiction had granted them unconditional release.
"First, the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) called for Mazi Nnamdi Kanu's release before, now it is the Egbesu Boys calling for the release of the leader of the indigenous people of Biafra Mazi Nnamdi Kanu"
"This proves to the entire world that they are more Biafra than any other body. It is also to let the enemies of our common identity to get behind us and the Hausa Fulani and Yoruba divide and rule can never be in our midst again."
"IPOB, led by Kanu has maintained non-violence stance and has not been involved in any crime or any form of violence and we are not going to be dragged by APC-led government to become violent but in any means, any group chooses to fight for his or her father land is allowed.
"The APC-led government of President Muhammadu Buhari uses DSS and EFCC to witch-hunt all his political opponents while he allowed his party members to be moving around, Femi Fani Kayode was arrested and detained since Monday last week without trial because he said the truth while his kinsmen Hausa Fulani and party members who steal trillions are there with the money they stole from the public funds," Powerful stated.
THE IGBO RANT
BIBLICAL TRADITIONS OF NDI IGBO BEFORE THE MISSIONARIES CAME TO AFRICA* IGBO 101.
THE IGBO TRIBE AND ITS FEAR OF EXTINCTION
The Igbo: We die for causes, not for personalities
Written by Emeka Maduewesi
~on fb. 28th September, 2016.
The Igbo will never die for anyone. We will not even riot for anyone. But the Igbo will die for any cause they believe in because the Igbo have a true sense of justice and a determination to obtain it.
The Igbo will not riot because one of their own lost an election. Operation Wetie was the Western response to a massively rigged 1965 election. The Yoruba doused fellow Yorubas in petrol and burnt them alife. Properties were burnt with occupants. The Igbo will never do this.
In 1983, the Yoruba went on a rampage again over the massive rigging by NPN. Lifes were lost and properties destroyed. The riots were over personalities.
Contrast that with Anambra State where Chief Emeka Ojukwu was rigged out by his own NPN, who also rigged out Chief Jim Nwobodo. The Igbo did not protest because the goat's head is still in the goat's bag.
In the North, ba muso was the battle cry when Sultan Dasuki was imposed on the Sokoto Caliphate. The riot and protest lasted for days and crippled economic activities.
The Igbo will riot over issues and causes. The Aba Women Riot was over Tax. The Enugu coal mine riot was about conditions of service. The Ekumeku Uprising was over British colonialization.
Those of "Ekumeku" ancestry - Umu Eze Chima and Umu Nri - were at the forefront of the struggles for Nigerian independence, with people like Dr. A A Nwafor Orizu and Chief Osita Agwuna serving prison terms. Any struggles the parents could not conclude is continued by the children by other means.
The Biafran war was a response to the genocide. The war in fact was brought upon us. The battlefield was Eastern Region. The war ended in 1970 but the issues and causes were not resolved. That is where we are today.
The Igbo will also jointly rise to fight evil in their midst. They did it in Onitsha in the 1980's, Owerri in the 90's, and with Bakkassi in the 2000.
The Igbo will not die for any man. But the Igbo will stand by any man who symbolizes their cause and their pursuit of justice. Even if the man dies, the struggle continues, and like the Ekumeku warriors, the children will pick up the baton from their parents.
This is the Igbo I know, the Igbo I am, and the Igbo we are. This is my story. Feel free to tell yours.
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