Singer and writer Etcetera addresses the issues of the agitation for the actualisation of the state of Biafra in this new article. Read below:
“I have been receiving a lot of mails and phone calls in recent weeks requesting that I lend my voice in support of the ongoing campaign for the sovereign state of Biafra and to also speak up against the recent shut down of Radio Biafra by National Broadcasting Commission. I have decided to make my opinion known to those who have been bombarding me with requests to support the Biafran movement.

Yes, I believe that the Igbo have been marginalised in Nigeria right from 1970 till date. I also believe that as a people, the Igbo have every right to speak out and seek redress. I believe that no tribe or ethnic group in Nigeria deserves to be marginalised or shut out by certain quarters of government because of an incident of the past. Just like every Igbo man, I believe that Biafra was a good dream born out of a necessity at that time. It was a good dream which went horribly wrong and became a nightmare for us, the Igbo people and the whole of Nigeria from 1967 to 1970, from which I believe we have woken up.

It will be foolhardy to dream the same dream in the same way and manner without thoroughly accounting for why and how it turned into a nightmare, and factoring in the changes that have taken place in Nigeria since the 1960.

The thought that the actualisation of the sovereign state of Biafra is in itself the solution to all the problems of Ndigbo is to display an understandable naivety about human nature and today’s politics. What we need as a people is a new vision that will encompass the lessons of the past, the changes that have taken place since the end of the civil war, the reality of present day Nigeria and demand for a system founded on justice, liberty and equality under the rule of law for Ndigbo and non Igbo as well.

I believe this new vision is attainable. They say charity begins at home and in this regard, I believe it is time for every honest and sincere Igbo man or woman, to channel his or her energy towards actualising good leadership and government in Igboland by joining the political process. It is time for every one of us to unite against corruption in our land.

It is time for Ndigbo to come together to reverse this ubiquitous trend of bad leadership ravishing Igboland and put in place a system that would enable the best of us to emerge as leaders. Great nations are ruled by their best minds and not by a band of common thieves without respect for individual liberty and democracy that do nothing but devise ingenious ways to looting the treasury and serve the vilest and most primitive of human instincts.

Without this political and cultural change embedded in the concept of our future, Igboland will remain underdeveloped, and that in itself, will constitute a gargantuan problem for us in the future. Making this necessary change in igboland will ensure that if and ever or when Nigeria collapses as a result of our collective idiocy, irresponsibility, ignorance and corruption, and the jumbo pay of politicians, Ndigbo will be better placed to build a new nation based on justice, equality, rule of law, tolerance, development and honesty. War has never been the solution to any problem.

I didn’t witness the civil war but from what I saw in my recent visit to Maiduguri, Adamawa and Plateau state, I have become a disciple of dialogue as a means to resolve issues. If Biafra will become a reality, it shouldn’t be through the barrel of a gun. It is wrong to seek divorce by putting a gun to your spouse’s head. We should realise that a divorce from Nigeria is also possible if the Nigeria state comes to its natural end because of years of ethnic and religious prejudices, injustices, and vision-less irresponsible, corrupt leadership that failed to lay the foundation of a viable state and make the necessary social investment for its survival.

This might be the natural course of events if Nigeria continues to sleep walk into disaster and neglect honest nation building. We shouldn’t continue to pursue the Biafra dream in the way and manner some people and groups are doing at the moment without regard to the present reality. It can only undermine the whole essence of the struggle. As an Igbo man, there is nothing I want for Igbo that I do not want for other ethnic groups. There is nothing.

I wish for my fellow Christians that I do not wish for Muslims. We are all humans after all. We are all brothers and sisters divided by language, skin colours and religion. I believe that enlightenment is recognition of this basic facts, and that underneath our skins, flows blood of the same colour and minds that can think alike and able to overcome the prejudices which our difference try to impose on our judgment. There is nothing that can justify the killing of a fellow man. I can only lend my voice to a vision that doesn’t entail the destruction of lives and property.

I am sorry to say that the continuous clamour for the recognition of Biafra by America may not yield much because of the selfish nature of America’s foreign policy. If there is nothing in it for America, America won’t get involved. We are a great and industrious people.

For a start, won’t it be better to seek economic independence and have Nigeria and the rest of the world depend on us for something? Today, Africa has gone from car assemblage to total manufacturing.

I am proud that I am alive to witness this history, that a Nigerian made car can actually be better that the Toyotas and Hondas of this world, and it is all due to the ingenuity of an Igbo man. Ndigbo, this can be a place to start. Igbo kwenu!!”

http://hype9ja.com/2015/08/etcetera-dear-biafrans/

Wahala

Igbos are really marginalised. Buhari acts as if Igbo land is not part of Nigeria.

Nwanne oga adiri gi na mma

The buffoon is being torn apart on Radio Biafra now.

Absolute facts! That is the crux of the whole matter....charity begins at home and Igbos need to deal with the rot within before preaching. Our leaders need to create an enviable region and our rich/intelligent minds must be engaged to bring this to a reality. We should be able to showcase an enviable alternative to the disheartening and shameful norm which we currently parade as leadership. Then, we can negotiate from a place of strength and not vulnerability.

"War has never been solution to any problem" hope our brother from south east heard and will learn from the past mistakes. Its only a fooool that make mistake twice. No offence to any one.

Etcetera made a point that is worthy of note but always ignored. The Southeastern governors and leaders should feel the first phase of the 'Biafran' heat before the federal government. They should be forced to develop their region before anybody talks about secesion.

kenny987:
Absolute facts! That is the crux of the whole matter....charity begins at home and Igbos need to deal with the rot within before preaching. Our leaders need to create an enviable region and our rich/intelligent minds must be engaged to bring this to a reality. We should be able to showcase an enviable alternative to the disheartening and shameful norm which we currently parade as leadership. Then, we can negotiate from a place of strength and not vulnerability.

Chukwu gozie gi

Cc lalasticlala
Ishilove

christinie:
Igbos are really marginalised. Buhari acts as if Igbo land is not part of Nigeria.

damn!!! Buhari this Buhari that. It seems u have a comprehension issues, its not about reading but understanding Mtcheww.

what did he just say that we didn't know b4??
I hope he has drank koko garri today. If not he can manage dis one

Emirofsambisa1:


Chukwu gozie gi

Cc lalasticlala
Ishilove

Iseeee! Gozikwa gi na ezi n'ulo gi!

kenny987:


Iseeee! Gozikwa gi na ezi n'ulo gi!

Ise nwanne!

The bitter truth is that, if Ndigbo secede with these crop of leaders and infrastructural decay, they may just find themselves in a worse position than they are now

EasternLion:
The buffoon is being torn apart on Radio Biafra now.

Then, what is the difference between an Boko haram and the biafra proponents? Boko haram kills whoever opposes their ideology and the Biafrans 'tear apart' in radio biafra whoever opposes their ideology.

That guy is a true Nwafor. If only Nnamdi kalu will listen

Pls who is this etcetera or wetin!! Pls come let me buy pure water and buns for you!

christinie:
Igbos are really marginalised. Buhari acts as if Igbo land is not part of Nigeria.

I do not know how old you are but it is better to inform yourself and do a little bit of research before echoing or parroting what you have heard without thinking for yourself

In 1970 the civil war ended and in 1979 there was the first subsequent election.
Shehu Shagari emerged as President and his Vice President was Alex Ekwueme,The Senate President was Joe Wayas from Cross River State while the Speaker of the House of Representatives was Edwin Ume-Ezeoke. 9 years is a short time and to make such gains within 9 years is a testament to the fact of the desire to reintegrate them into Nigeria

I is worth mentioning that the Yoruba are also from the south and in 1979 were Excluded from the key positions of Shagari's government.They did not cry marginalization because they did not believe in Shagari's government and took a principled decision to be in opposition.

We are in a similar situation here the only difference is thta the SE are showing they cannot survive without the FG why clamour to be part of a government they don't support. Why not form a strong opposition like APC and look toward 2019.That is what people with principles do

In 2011 the SW voted Overwhelmingly for GEJ.Buhari won only one state. Though the SW did not go to absurd extents of giving GEJ 99.99 % votes ,still they supported him but again he marginalized the SW.(Who was the most senior person from SW in GEJ's government?
The SE were happy about this and again the SW went to the drawing board. hey did not take up arms ,create radio stations or seek secession. The SE should learn how to stick to their decisions. They do not support this government and should rebuild PDP and seek to regain power

It is instructive and predictable that the first time EVER in our history when we are having a Senate deputy president in the kind of circumstances as we see with Ekweremadu it is a SE person. A total lack of shame and principles. No one can take such a people seriously.
Go back and study history and learn how the Yorubas behaved when they vote against the government in power then we can learn who it is that needs Nigeria really,who needs FG patronage and who really are parasites

omonnakoda:
I do not know how old you are but it is better to inform yourself and do a little bit of research before echoing or parroting what you have heard without thinking for yourself

In 1970 the civil war ended and in 1979 there was the first subsequent election.
Shehu Shagari emerged as President and his Vice President was Alex Ekwueme,The Senate President was Joe Wayas from Cross River State while the Speaker of the House of Representatives was Edwin Ume-Ezeoke. 9 years is a short time and to make such gains within 9 years is a testament to the fact of the desire to reintegrate them into Nigeria

I is worth mentioning that the Yoruba are also from the south and in 1979 were Excluded from the key positions of Shagari's government.They did not cry marginalization because they did not believe in Shagari's government and took a principled decision to be in opposition.

We are in a similar situation here the only difference is thta the SE are showing they cannot survive without the FG why clamour to be part of a government they don't support. Why not form a strong opposition like APC and look toward 2019.That is what people with principles do

In 2011 the SW voted Overwhelmingly for GEJ.Buhari won only one state. Though the SW did not go to absurd extents of giving GEJ 99.99 % votes ,still they supported him but again he marginalized the SW.(Who was the most senior person from SW in GEJ's government?
The SE were happy about this and again the SW went to the drawing board. hey did not take up arms ,create radio stations or seek secession. The SE should learn how to stick to their decisions. They do not support this government and should rebuild PDP and seek to regain power

It is instructive and predictable that the first time EVER in our history when we are having a Senate deputy president in the kind of circumstances as we see with Ekweremadu it is a SE person. A total lack of shame and principles. No one can take such a people seriously.
Go back and study history and learn how the Yorubas behaved when they vote against the government in power then we can learn who it is that needs Nigeria really,who needs FG patronage and who really are parasites

Nigeria belongs to all of us and this goes beyond parties. Buhari should run an inclusive govt to promote peace and unity in our great country.

kITATITA:

My dear Christine, Buhari has been president for two months. Igbo marginalization didn't start two months ago. I am angrier with so called Igbo leaders. We are our worst enemy. Same Igbo leaders met and endorsed Abacha for life presidency. Same Igbo scuttled Ekwueme's ambition. The great Zik lost Anambra, his home state. Ojukwu lost Senatorial election. Despite key appointments in Obasanjo administration, Igboland didn't gain in infrastructure. Ndigbo supported GEJ for all his years, Igbo roads are the worst. Second Niger Bridge is the only federal road that will be tolled. Buhari wanted to meet with Ohaneze before the elections; just to hear their issues and they refused. I support resource control. I support devolution of powers from the center. But Biafra is NOT about unarmed youths hoisting flags on uncompleted buildings. It's not about rogue radio station. It's about resilience and survival in the face of opposition. It's about looking out for one another. I had to address you personally because I see you have the love of Igbo and I respect you even though we share different political beliefs. .

I partially agree with you but that notwithstanding, the Igbos should be given their place in nigeria as a majority tribe.

sameer1212:
damn!!! Buhari this Buhari that. It seems u have a comprehension issues, its not about reading but understanding Mtcheww.

Buhari hates Igbos. Yes or no?

christinie:
Nigeria belongs to all of us and this goes beyond parties. Buhari should run an inclusive govt to promote peace and unity in our great country.

Where were you over the last 4 years please stop the hypocrisy. GEJ's government was anything but inclusive as far as Yorubas were concerned. The skies did no fall. Eboes should learn to survive in opposition too.

omonnakoda:
Where were you over the last 4 years please stop the hypocrisy. GEJ's government was anything but inclusive as far as Yorubas were concerned. The skies did no fall. Eboes should learn to survive in opposition too.

GEJ's appointments cut across. No tribe was cheated.

christinie:
I partially agree with you but that notwithstanding, the Igbos should be given their place in nigeria as a majority tribe.

Then we should learn to play politics. "The secret to survival is knowing what to throw away and what to keep. You got to know when to hold on, know when to fold up, know when to walk away, know when to run"....Kenny Rogers.

christinie:
GEJ's appointments cut across. No tribe was cheated.

Who is the judge of that the cheated or the cheater?

[quote author=christinie post=36507284]GEJ's appointments cut across. No tribe was cheated. [/quote

My dear, appointments don't develop a town. It's not technocrats, it's politicians. Under OBJ, we had Dora, Soludo, Ngozi, Oby, Ndukwe, etc. They didn't do what one Anenih did for Edo. To develop a place you should have people with influence, not popularity. Here on Nairaland, some are notorious while others are popular; yet there are some who exert influence. ]

christinie:
GEJ's appointments cut across. No tribe was cheated.

True GEJ's appointments cut across tribes and widespread looting was the end result.

In sum, the Yoruba political leadership, as mentioned by Balarabe Musa, has shown itself over the years to be incapable of rising above narrow tribal interests and reciprocating goodwill from other sections of the country by treating other groups with respect. Practically every crisis in Nigeria since independence has its roots in this attitude.

The Yoruba elite and area-boy politics;
Igbo marginalisation and the responsible limits of retribution; and
The Yoruba Factor and "Area-boy" Politics.

My views on the Yoruba political leadership have been thoroughly articulated in some of my writings, prime among which was " Afenifere: Syllabus of Errors" published by This Day (The Sunday Newspaper) on Sept 27, 1998. There was also an earlier publication in the weekly Trust entitled " The Igbo, the Yoruba and History" (Aug. 21, 1998).

In sum, the Yoruba political leadership, as mentioned by Balarabe Musa, has shown itself over the years to be incapable of rising above narrow tribal interests and reciprocating goodwill from other sections of the country by treating other groups with respect. Practically every crisis in Nigeria since independence has its roots in this attitude.

The Yoruba elite were the first, in 1962, to attempt a violent overthrow of an elected government in this country. In 1966, it was the violence in the West which provided an avenue for the putsch of 15th January. After Chief Awolowo lost to Shagari in 1983 elections, it was the discontent and bad publicity in the South-West which led to the Buhari intervention.

When Buhari jailed UPN governors like Ige and Onabanjo, the South-Western press castigated that good government and provided the right mood for IBB to take over power. As soon as IBB cleared UPN governors of charges against them in a politically motivated retrial, he became the darling of the South-West. When IBB annulled the primaries in which Adamu Ciroma and Shehu Yar Adua emerged as presidential candidates in the NRC and SDP, he was hailed by the South-West. When the same man annulled the June 12, 1993 elections in which Abiola was the front-runner, the South-West now became defenders of democracy.

When it seemed Sani Abacha was sympathetic to Abiola, the South-West supported his take-over. He was in fact invited by a prominent NADECO member to take over in a published letter shortly before the event. Even though Abiola had won the elections in the North, the North was blamed for its annulment. When Abdulsalam Abubakar started his transition, the Yoruba political leadership through NADECO presented a memorandum on a Government of National Unity that showed complete disrespect for the intelligence and liberties of other Nigerians.

Subsequently, they formed a tribal party which failed to meet minimum requirements for registration, but was registered all the same to avoid the violence that was bound to follow non-registration, given the area-boy mentality of South-West politicians. Having rejected an Obasanjo candidacy and challenged the election as a fraud in court, we now find a leading member of the AD in the government, a daughter of an Afenifere leader as Minister of State, and Awolowo´s daughter as Ambassador, all appointed by a man who won the election through fraud.

Meanwhile, nothing has been negotiated for the children of Abiola, the focus of Yoruba political activity. In return for these favours, the AD solidly voted for Evan Enwerem as Senate President. This is a man who participated in the two-million- man March for Abacha´s self-succession. He also is reputed to have hosted a meeting of governors during IBB´s transition, demanding that June 12 elections should never be de-annulled and threatening that the East would go to war if this was done. When Ibrahim Salisu Buhari was accused of swearing to a false affidavit, the Yoruba political elite correctly took up the gauntlet for his resignation.

When an AD governor, Bola Tinubu, swears to a false affidavit that he attended an Ivy League University which he did not attend, we hear excuses.

For so many years, the Yoruba have inundated this country with stories of being marginalised and of a civil service dominated by northerners through quota system. The Federal Character Commission has recently released a report which shows that the South-West accounts for 27.8% of civil servants in the range GL08 to GL14 and a full 29.5% of GL 15 and above. One zone out of six zones controls a full 30% of the civil service leaving the other five zones to share the remaining 70%. We find the same story in the economy, in academia, in parastatals.

Yet in spite of being so dominant, the Yoruba complained and complained of marginalization. Of recent, in recognition of the trauma which hit the South-West after June 12, the rest of the country forced everyone out of the race to ensure that a South-Westerner emerged, often against the best advice of political activists.

Instead of leading a path of reconciliation and strong appreciation, the Yoruba have embarked on short-sighted triumphalism, threatening other "nationalities" that they ( who after all lost the election) will protect Obasanjo ( who was forced on them). No less a person than Bola Ige has made such utterances.

To further show that they were in charge, they led a cult into the Hausa area of Sagamu, murdered a Hausa woman and nothing happened. In the violence that followed, they killed several Hausa residents, with Yoruba leaders like Segun Osoba, reminding Nigerians of the need to respect the culture of their host communities. This would have continued were it not for the people of Kano who showed that they could also create their own Oro who would only be appeased through the shedding of innocent Yoruba blood.
I say all this, to support Balarabe Musa´s statement, that the greatest problem to nation-building in Nigeria are the Yoruba Bourgeoisie. I say this also to underscore my point that until they change this attitude, no conference can solve the problems of Nigeria. We cannot move forward if the leadership of one of the largest ethnic groups continues to operate, not like statesmen, but like common area boys.
iii.The Igbo Factor and the Reasonable Limits of Retribution.

The Igbo people of Nigeria have made a mark in the history of this nation. They led the first successful military coup which eliminated the Military and Political leaders of other regions while letting off Igbo leaders. Nwafor Orizu, then Senate President, in consultation with President Azikiwe, subverted the constitution and handed over power to Aguiyi-Ironsi. Subsequent developments, including attempts at humiliating other peoples, led to the counter-coup and later the civil war. The Igbos themselves must acknowledge that they have a large part of the blame for shattering the unity of this country.
Having said that, this nation must realise that Igbos have more than paid for their foolishness. They have been defeated in war, rendered paupers by monetary policy fiat, their properties declared abandoned and confiscated, kept out of strategic public sector appointments and deprived of public services. The rest of the country forced them to remain in Nigeria and has continued to deny them equity.
The Northern Bourgeoisie and the Yoruba Bourgeoisie have conspired to keep the Igbo out of the scheme of things. In the recent transition when the Igbo solidly supported the PDP in the hope of an Ekwueme presidency, the North and South-West treated this as a Biafra agenda. Every rule set for the primaries, every gentleman´s agreement was set aside to ensure that Obasanjo, not Ekwueme emerged as the candidate. Things went as far as getting the Federal Government to hurriedly gazette a pardon. Now, with this government, the marginalistion of the Igbo is more complete than ever before. The Igbos have taken all these quietly because, they reason, they brought it upon themselves. But the nation is sitting on a time-bomb.
After the First World War, the victors treated Germany with the same contempt Nigeria is treating Igbos. Two decades later, there was a Second World War, far costlier than the first. Germany was again defeated, but this time, they won a more honourable peace. Our present political leaders have no sense of History. There is a new Igbo man, who was not born in 1966 and neither knows nor cares about Nzeogwu and Ojukwu. There are Igbo men on the street who were never Biafrans. They were born Nigerians, are Nigerians, but suffer because of actions of earlier generations. They will soon decide that it is better to fight their own war, and may be find an honourable peace, than to remain in this contemptible state in perpetuity.

The Northern Bourgeoisie and the Yoruba Bourgeoisie have exacted their pound of flesh from the Igbos. For one Sardauna, one Tafawa Balewa, one Akintola and one Okotie-Eboh, hundreds of thousands have died and suffered.

If this issue is not addressed immediately, no conference will solve Nigeria´s problems. By Sanusi Lamido Sanusi.

Being Excerpts from A Paper Presented At The “National Conference On The 1999 Constitution” Jointly Organised By The Network For Justice And The Vision Trust Foundation, At The Arewa House, Kaduna From 11th –12th September, 1999.http://www.nigerianbulletin.com/threads/yorubas-are-the-problem-with-nigeria-by-sanusi-lamido-sanusi-elombah-com.111348/

ba7man:
True GEJ's appointments cut across tribes and widespread looting was the end result.

that's what your Dullard is telling you. Now he's looting alone. Are you trying to say only Northerners are sincere? Mtcheeew

christinie:
that's what your Dullard is telling you. Now he's looting alone. Are you trying to say only Northerners are sincere? Mtcheeew

It's not about what Buhari is telling us. Only a person that's insincere will say they did not see evidence of the shameful looting that went on under Gej's administration. We the people saw it and that is why we kicked him out! Even the worst of Buhari will be better than GEJ , Infact I can tell you Nigeria will never have an administration again with that level of looting and they didn't even hide it on. The difference between other corrupt administrations likeAbachas is that under GEJ it was a free for all looting!

adebisicutie:


It's not about what Buhari is telling us. Only a person that's insincere will say they did not see evidence of the shameful looting that went on under Gej's administration. We the people saw it and that is why we kicked him out! Even the worst of Buhari will be better than GEJ , Infact I can tell you Nigeria will never have an administration again with that level of looting and they didn't even hide it on. The difference between other corrupt administrations likeAbachas is that under GEJ it was a free for all looting!

and the solution is to appoint only Northerners now? Keep talking.