Monday 16 October 2017 // 12:04 AM
Biafra: The Rebuilding Of The North And The Abandoned 3R's Of Gowon
By Mazi Edozie,
For IPOB Writers
The rate of development in Nigeria which can be likened to the speed of a snail is one of the reasons why Biafrans wish to exit Nigeria, but the greater reason why they have resolved to call it quits with Nigeria is the obvious injustice meted against them.
It is true that there are similar agitations to Biafrans' in many countries of the world but I have not seen a similar deliberate display of unfair treatments against the separatist ethnicities as experienced by Biafrans in Nigeria.
Once there is a deliberate packet of injustices or inequalities against a person, group or people, an inevitable quest for freedom, agitations for fairness, equity and justice ensue.
Looking at the condition of the North-east Nigeria now and the efforts the federal government of Nigeria is making to rebuild it, and the condition of the Old Eastern State (the now southeast and south-south), in 1970, and how the federal government of Nigeria made no effort to rebuild it, if you are honest, you will see injustice against the people of the southeast/south-south - hereafter referred to as Biafrans.
Now, let me elaborate. The Nigerian government under Gen. Yakubu Gowon, from 1967-1970, fought the people of Biafra, who unanimously decided to exist separately from Nigeria after failed accords between the would-be Biafran state and the Nigerian state on conditions that would foster unity.
At that time, Hausa-Fulani were staging pogroms against the people of Biafra, killing them in their thousands, which necessitated the failed accords and the subsequent breakaway of Biafra.
As Biafra broke away, the only impulse the government of Gowon, backed by mostly the government of Britain, was war.
The war started and many lives especially women and children and properties were destroyed on the side of Biafra because the Nigerian government bombed mostly marketplaces, hospitals and other locations of soft targets.
The government of Gowon claimed it was not fighting the war to exterminate the people of Biafra, rather bring them back to Nigeria but the bombing of markets where women and children were found proved what his intent was because, in such war, rebels or soldiers of the separating state should be the target. This led to the destruction of estimated 2million lives of women and children.
Gowon fought and destroyed Biafra land and when the soldiers of Biafra surrendered to the federal government of Nigeria to him, he promised to reconcile, rehabilitate and reconstruct Biafra land but up till date neither his nor subsequent governments have made any effort to fulfil such promise, leaving Biafra land abandoned.
But in the case of Northeast Nigeria, Boko-Haram, the second deadliest terrorist organization in the world, in its effort to form a caliphate in the country has destroyed both lives and properties, leaving the northeast badly ravaged.
But in response to the damage caused by Boko Haram on northeast, which damage is nothing compared to the devastation of Biafra land caused by the Nigeria government's hostility on Biafra during the war of 1967-1970, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari has instructed the president of the World Bank Group, Jim Yong Kim, to direct all his attention to Northern Nigeria.
It is a strong display of injustice to promise the people of Biafra reconstruction, rehabilitation and reconstruction and up till now no dine has been mapped out to fulfil such promise whereas the north is enjoying same.
I believe a reasonable government which wants to win the hearts of those it was fighting to bring in should have made reconstructing, rehabilitating and reconciliation with Biafra a priority. But because the war was a deliberate move to exterminate Biafrans; because the Hausa-Fulani controlled government of Nigeria is hostile towards Biafrans, such cannot be achieved, not in the next century.
This is one of the reasons why Biafrans have resolved to exit Nigeria and eventually, they must exit.
Biafra: The Rebuilding Of The North And The Abandoned 3R's Of Gowon
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| Correct Definition Of Nigeria |
By Mazi Edozie,
For IPOB Writers
The rate of development in Nigeria which can be likened to the speed of a snail is one of the reasons why Biafrans wish to exit Nigeria, but the greater reason why they have resolved to call it quits with Nigeria is the obvious injustice meted against them.
It is true that there are similar agitations to Biafrans' in many countries of the world but I have not seen a similar deliberate display of unfair treatments against the separatist ethnicities as experienced by Biafrans in Nigeria.
Once there is a deliberate packet of injustices or inequalities against a person, group or people, an inevitable quest for freedom, agitations for fairness, equity and justice ensue.
Looking at the condition of the North-east Nigeria now and the efforts the federal government of Nigeria is making to rebuild it, and the condition of the Old Eastern State (the now southeast and south-south), in 1970, and how the federal government of Nigeria made no effort to rebuild it, if you are honest, you will see injustice against the people of the southeast/south-south - hereafter referred to as Biafrans.
Now, let me elaborate. The Nigerian government under Gen. Yakubu Gowon, from 1967-1970, fought the people of Biafra, who unanimously decided to exist separately from Nigeria after failed accords between the would-be Biafran state and the Nigerian state on conditions that would foster unity.
At that time, Hausa-Fulani were staging pogroms against the people of Biafra, killing them in their thousands, which necessitated the failed accords and the subsequent breakaway of Biafra.
As Biafra broke away, the only impulse the government of Gowon, backed by mostly the government of Britain, was war.
The war started and many lives especially women and children and properties were destroyed on the side of Biafra because the Nigerian government bombed mostly marketplaces, hospitals and other locations of soft targets.
The government of Gowon claimed it was not fighting the war to exterminate the people of Biafra, rather bring them back to Nigeria but the bombing of markets where women and children were found proved what his intent was because, in such war, rebels or soldiers of the separating state should be the target. This led to the destruction of estimated 2million lives of women and children.
Gowon fought and destroyed Biafra land and when the soldiers of Biafra surrendered to the federal government of Nigeria to him, he promised to reconcile, rehabilitate and reconstruct Biafra land but up till date neither his nor subsequent governments have made any effort to fulfil such promise, leaving Biafra land abandoned.
But in the case of Northeast Nigeria, Boko-Haram, the second deadliest terrorist organization in the world, in its effort to form a caliphate in the country has destroyed both lives and properties, leaving the northeast badly ravaged.
But in response to the damage caused by Boko Haram on northeast, which damage is nothing compared to the devastation of Biafra land caused by the Nigeria government's hostility on Biafra during the war of 1967-1970, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari has instructed the president of the World Bank Group, Jim Yong Kim, to direct all his attention to Northern Nigeria.
It is a strong display of injustice to promise the people of Biafra reconstruction, rehabilitation and reconstruction and up till now no dine has been mapped out to fulfil such promise whereas the north is enjoying same.
I believe a reasonable government which wants to win the hearts of those it was fighting to bring in should have made reconstructing, rehabilitating and reconciliation with Biafra a priority. But because the war was a deliberate move to exterminate Biafrans; because the Hausa-Fulani controlled government of Nigeria is hostile towards Biafrans, such cannot be achieved, not in the next century.
This is one of the reasons why Biafrans have resolved to exit Nigeria and eventually, they must exit.
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