Biafrans Dont Have Sense Of Belonging In Nigeria Today – Ikedife In this interview, Dozie Ikedife, Ikenga of Nnewi, former President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, and a renowned medical doctor, says he believes the time has come for Nigerians to resolve the issue of Biafra peacefully and amicably. On contemporary political situation in Nigeria: I am certainly not impressed with what I see in Nigerian politics today. The reason being that in the previous era, we used to have what is called five-year, 10-year, and 25-year development plan. This was, as far as possible, followed religiously. But today, travel across the country, you will see myriads of abandoned projects. One person starts it, he will not be able to complete it in his term as governor, as President, or as local government chairman; another person comes and he has to start something totally new, abandoning the one that has been started, as if it wasnt thought through properly. Start and stop, as if each person wants to have his own of what I may call grand plan of what he wants to be remembered for - sometimes accomplishable and sometimes not. Presently, too, most of the programmes people seem to start are short-term programmes, and some even begin things they know they can never finish, which means they are going nowhere with it. Worse still is that today people in certain positions act with extreme impunity - neglecting the constitution of the country and the constitution of their political parties, and neglecting the judiciary. Very sadly, the judiciary appears to be purchasable, which is a very great shame. To illustrate what I am saying, somebody comes out and people are saying that the police are chasing him, and that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is chasing him. Then he runs into a court and comes out with a protection or prohibition from arrest by anybody, or even questioning him or taking him to court. Now the judiciary seems to be providing shelter for suspects or people who could be questioned, by granting them immunity from prosecution, which cannot be justified. The judiciary has, through the side door, introduced plea-bargaining, which, to the best of my knowledge, was not in our constitution, or legal statutes. Then there is corruption to the extreme, and the way we are going, it appears that what is left is for us to write corruption as part of our constitution. Let me illustrate. One high-placed member of a big political party was charged for stealing public funds; he was found guilty in the court of public opinion and the courts with proper jurisdiction. He went to the Court of Appeal, and the Court of Appeal confirmed the guilt pronounced on him by the High Court. Okay, the man made, I am right, some plea-bargaining, went for prison for a short while, came out, and the height of the disgrace of it was that when he was coming out, he was welcome with great drumming and dancing by someaso-ebi groups. He went to one of the biggest churches in the former capital of Nigeria to celebrate and even a former head of state went along. What signal is that sending? A person like that should have come out, tuck his tail between his two legs, go home quietly, sit in a room with curtains drawn, and periodically you part the curtains to have a peep of the outside world for some time, before he starts climbing again on his high-horse and pontificating to us how Nigeria will be run. That I think is the height of lamentable insensitivity. If you sight the daily papers, you will understand what I am saying; you can even identify the people I am talking about. Though I dont want to mention names, these are facts! What are we talking about? I am sure, before long, the man will be granted state pardon. We are not serious yet. His advice to Nigerians and the Nigerian government: My advice to Nigerians and Nigerian government is to be serious and love their country. The impression one gets is that each person wants to see what part of Nigeria he can cut off and put in his pocket, rather than saying what bridge can I add to the building of a better Nigeria. There is insufficient patriotism and commitment to the continuing existence of corporate Nigeria. It is a pity, and I think it is something we should think seriously about. On the other side of the coin is the fact that there is this lack of security of lives and property. It is a very serious situation. If you dont feel secure, you will be a foolish man to say you will fight or run, because it is not a question of saying you have dogs or a barrel in your house. When they are coming to take you, they will be coming as if they are having a brigade attack on your house. The least you can do is to close your eyes, raise up your hands and say, God I am coming home. It is a very sorry situation. On specualtions that Nigeria will expire after December 31, this year: It means something, and then it means nothing. The amalgamation treaty, or pronouncement, or act, or royal order was done December 1913, and became effective from January 1914. In that act, nobody from the South East, and maybe nobody from the South West, or I dont think any Nigerian was party to that agreement or that amalgamation process. Therefore, many agreements lapse after 100 years; that is why people are saying so. But the amalgamation treaty was still in existence until 1963 when Nigeria drew up its own constitution for the federation of Nigeria. So it is super-imposed on the existing amalgamation saga, or act, or order, or royal fiat. So we have to really know that what we are riding on now is the constitution of 1963 that created Nigeria as a federation. Notwithstanding [that that Constitution is no longer operational today], the amalgamation was not a marriage made in heaven. A partnership in which one member is not happy, that partnership is threatened with collapse because it takes two to tango. Nigerians are showing a lot of unhappiness about the situation; about the federation as it is. Nigerians are unhappy about quite a lot of things, and all these are being given expressions in one way or another - the militancy in the South South; the kidnappings in the South East; the Boko Haram in the North East, North West and part of North Central; the area boys in the South West. All these, I think, are signs of we are not happy. {read_more} Then at a higher level, look at what is happening. The ruling party (at the centre) is the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and within its rank and file, there is a lot of schisms, frictions, disagreements. We have new PDP; we have the G-7, and we have all kinds of things. All these are signs that things are not right. That is why I give kudos to the President of the country, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, for listening to the cry and the call for a national dialogue, which many people say must be a sovereign conference, not just a dialogue of talking jamboree. And we should cease the opportunity and know that things are not right. And with seriousness and sincerity of purpose, we must cease this opportunity to see how best to save Nigeria if it is still savable. If on the other hand, it is not save-able, let us perform the surgical operation as bloodlessly as possible. Looking around, I have seen, I cant remember where, a map of Nigeria where five different countries were carved out - one is Oduduwa country; another one is Sharia country, in the far North; another one is the Middle-Belt, which is still called Nigeria; another one is the South East and South South which contains Biafra land. If you like, I might talk a bit about Biafra land, about Biafra. Now, these agitations are deep-rooted, many ethnic nationalities feel marginalised, many segments of the country feel marginalised. Then you begin to ask: who is marginalising who? It is a pertinent question. Putting that in one corner, you come to the question of Boko Haram? What is the cause of avarice in Nigeria? What is the cause of corruption in Nigeria? It is because many people do not believe in Nigeria as it is. If you go into an environment, if you go to a party where you are assured that there is enough food, drinks and everything, you will not go on hoarding or stealing some. But if there is fear that there is insufficiency of whatever it is, then the tendency will be for you to want to hide some, to accumulate, or exercise what I call acquisitive propensity. This is because people do not believe in corporate Nigeria; the chances of Nigeria continuing. They want to take out as much as they can, while they can, before the thing crumbles. That, I think, is the genesis of the corruption. If there is enough pabulum in our environment, and you are sure you will eat today, tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, then there will be no need for you to go and store some in the pantry. But if you are not sure that there will be food tomorrow, then you start hoarding some. That, I think, is the root - may be the secondary or primary root -of corruption, acquisition propensity and the greed in Nigeria. On Supreme Council of Elders of the Indigenous People of Biafra, of which he is the vice chairman: Now, we have to go into a bit of the anthropological journey into the Igbo societies, into Igbo land, into Biafra land. In Biafra land, leadership had always been by the elders. They would meet and discuss any issue, and at the end of the day, they will knock the ofo (Igbo symbol of truth, justice and equity) on the ground. And once that is done, whatever they say becomes law. On the other hand, if the law is to be abrogated, it is they that will say, from this day, this law is abrogated, and they knock the ofo on the ground and it becomes abrogated. The Supreme Council of Elders of the Indigenous People of Biafra is reminiscent of the Igbo ancient system of administration before the arrival of the Europeans. Now, the Nigeria/Biafra war, what is called Nigerian civil war, was aimed at terminating, extinguishing and abolishing the existence of the people of Biafra. That was why military, starvation, blockade were used in that war against the people of Biafra. You dont fight that kind of war. Geneva Convention does not allow that you bomb schools or block food access and starve children to death. It is only in a war where you mean to totally eliminate, wipe out and wipe off a people that you use that kind of venomous, vicious, destructive and genocidal approach. God is wiser than man. God made some Biafrans to survive that terrible war, and they are still saying okay, allow us to be on our own because they were not party to the amalgamation treaty of 1913 or 1914. Yes, their representatives took part in the constitution of 1963, and other modifications, including 1999. But it so happens that the United Nations (UN) in 2007 had decreed that any indigenous people who wished to be on their own must be allowed self-determination. That is the foundation for the quest by the indigenous people of Biafra to be allowed to be on their own. That was a UN pronouncement, African Union (AU) subscribed to it, and Nigeria by extension subscribed to it. Therefore, Nigeria should allow the indigenous people of Biafra, and any other indigenous people who want to be on their own within what is called Nigeria geographical area today, to be self-determining without let or hindrance, without fight or bombing or further starvation or blockade. That is the genesis of all that. On how the Supreme Council of Elders can function in the current dispensation: The government of the indigenous people of Biafra is anchored on the ancient system of governance, which is rulership by the Council of Elders, where there is democracy and obedience to the rule of the elders. So, that is the genesis of the Supreme Council of Elders of the Indigenous People of Biafra. On his relationship with Bilie Human Rights Initiative and Radio Biafra, which is currently broadcasting from London: Now, the Supreme Council of Elders has some organs it is using to pursue its aspiration and goal. Radio Biafra is just a medium, and information channel. When we talk to people from other parts of the world of how we feel, they often say to us that if you people feel this way, we dont hear about it; you dont shout. They use to tell us that if you are being beaten, that you should be shouting, that this is killing me. That is why we have Radio Biafra; that is the importance of Radio Biafra. Bilie Human Rights Initiative is a legal body registered in the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC). It is a legal entity through which the Biafrans Supreme Council of Elders is pursuing their rights to self-determination. We gave them the power of attorney to do so, and it is a human rights umbrella through which they are pursuing their case in court. Does the Nigerian government recognise the body? Yes, this body is well known; its presence is well known to the government, to the Inspector General of Police, to the Director of SSS (State Security Service), and to the President of this country. All these people were informed before they hung the signboard bearing their name at an address in Owerri, Imo State. They are not hiding. It is not a secret group. Incidentally, they are in court against Nigeria in a Federal High Court (in Owerri, Imo State capital). The case is going on; it is going to be reopened on the 25th of this month (last Friday - two days ago). They are legal; they obey all the laws in Nigeria, and they tell you that they are Biafrans by indigenous identity and Nigerians by nationality, until they get their freedom. None of these groups are breaking any law. They are not like other organisations that are clandestine, that are in the trenches, fighting in the riverine areas, or that are bombing in churches, bus stations, and market places. No; this is a legal entity that is operating within the law. They are totally law-abiding. On people who consider it an aberration that he is going to prosecute a case in a court of someone considered to be your adversary to seek justice: We hope justice will be given. But we dont see the matter as a one-stop affair. We even imagine the possibility of this case going on from the court of first instance, Court of Appeal, the Supreme Court of Nigeria, to the International Court of Justice (ICJ). That is that remote theoretical possibility. But one hopes that before we can get to that extent, Nigeria would have seen the light of day and conceded to let Biafrans go. On him going for the National Conference: Oh yes, National Conference, yes! We think it is good that the Federal Government has allowed for this discussion. Other ethnic nationalities, other agitation groups should go to it. Let us on our own decide what we want to do, and Nigeria should be a federation of the willing. His advice to Ndigbo: Ndigbo should wake up. They should know that many other regions of the country or ethnic nationalities have prepared for the possible break-up of this country. The Oduduwa, or Yoruba position, is a book documented. It is not a hidden thing. You can have access to it; it was launched sometime ago, about three or four years ago. They have drawn their constitution, their national anthem; they have designed a flag, and even have the structure of their government. It is ready! If you blow the whistle now, they will go and be on their own. Sharia North is ready, well organised and doing their thing. It is only the Biafrans, people in the South East and South South, that have not really got their acts together. They may really be like the foolish virgins in the Bible, who were not ready when the bridegroom came. Therefore, it is time that they started thinking and talking, within the law. I will never subscribe to anybody breaking the law that is in existence - not only in Nigeria, but wherever you live. As a Biafran, you must obey the law of wherever you are; operate within the law. Igbo should learn for once, if possible, to think together and speak with one voice and one mind - ofu obi, ofu onu. Then, they will not be caught with their pants down like the foolish virgins in the Bible. Let us know that despite that we have a lot of our people in Diaspora, they should always be thinking home. The think-home philosophy must be the front-burner in their minds, because in the final analyses, Biafra land belongs to Biafrans. And let me tell you something else, there was somebody who was saying that we were busy talking of Biafra when Biafran economy is way beyond the Biafran geography. I said the man must be a very stupid short-sighted person, because no country in the world today has its economy within its geography only. Look at Taiwan; its economy is well beyond it; Japan the same thing. Look at Great Britain, which has an empire which the sun never sets, which is well beyond its geography. Even China, with all its vastness, but go to many parts of Africa and you will see Chinese in remote areas and remote villages trying to expand their economy well beyond the vast area of China, the geographical territory of China. Nothing lasts forever, not even unity, sweetness of enmity. There was a time we had the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) led by Josef Stalin, Cruschev, Gorbachev, and all such people. Then, like something out of the blue, many countries broke away from the union of socialist Russia. You used to hear of Czechoslovakia, but you will not hear of it again because it has been fragmented. You used to hear of Yugoslavia, but you wont hear of it again because it has been fragmented into smaller countries, like Montenegro and all that. The Biafrans dont have a sense of belonging in Nigeria today, which is often expressed as marginalisation, and many other segments of the country are also talking about marginalisation, not having a sense of belonging. Let us carve the thing off into manageable sizes, and new patriotism will be generated. Then we shall continue to rebuild whatever country we have with enthusiasm. Talking about fragmentation, look at Sudan, just a year ago, Southern Sudan broke away from Northern Sudan, after struggling for many years. East Timor also separated and they are operating. So why stay in arrangement that does you no good, and there is no prospect of it doing you any good. So, let us go to this conference as matured people, and resolve these issues. The rest of the world has been watching us stewing in our juice, killing ourselves, and maiming ourselves. Imagine how many lives have been lost, and they laugh at us because of Boko Haram. But we should be more sensible to say yes, if we cannot live together under one roof, let us build two, three or four houses and remain friends, if not brothers.
Posted on: Thu, 31 Oct 2013 00:18:17 +0000
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