Prince Charles Offokaja
If you read between the lines of what some Northern youth groups and some of their elders have been saying, you will notice that their grand design is to isolate the South East Igbos from the South South Igbos and cut a South East independent Biafra off from access to the sea, then impose crippling export duties, trade, travel and emigration restrictions on it. In their recent letter to Acting President Osinbajo, the youths stated:

“The Igbo from all over the country and in the Diaspora should be advised to converge in their region in the South-East – notice they did not add South South where Igbo Land has Asaba, as well as the ports of Port Harcourt (Igwe Ocha), Onne, and Bonny (Igwe Ngaa) – for a plebiscite to be organized and conducted by the United Nations and other regional bodies for them to categorically to decide between remaining part of Nigeria or having their separate country. That government should at the end of the plebiscite implement whatever is agreed and resolved in order to finally put this matter to rest.

“Lastly, we pray His Excellency to study the references forwarded with this letter dispassionately and decide who is more in the wrong between those who openly pledge allegiance to a country other than Nigeria backing it up with persistent threats of war and those of us whose allegiance remains with the Nigerian state but simply urge that the secessionists be allowed to actualize their dream peacefully throw universally entrenched democratic options”.

Unfavourable Customs Union
If the South East allows itself to be deceived, the trade marginalization that they will impose will be worse than any marginalization of Igbo traders currently, because such a landlocked new country carved out from only South East will depend on Nigeria for every item they import or export. If the economy of such new country is growing, some people can just sit down in Abuja and decide to impose punishing tariffs on certain goods, making your goods too expensive in the international market, sabotaging all your efforts.

Ojukwu would turn in his grave if that kind of Biafra emerges- his idea was a Biafra with access to the sea, not a Biafra surrounded by a mighty enemy willing and able to squeeze it to death. In such a country, Igbo foreign investors will be deported at will from Lagos, and you cannot sue the Governor as you sued Fashola because he will say you are foreign imigrants, not bonafide citizens of his country.

The government of such new country would not dare make too much noise because if they annoy the Nigerian government, it can close the borders, and your people won’t be able to import anything until you beg for forgiveness (how humiliating). If you use your advanced military to invade, foreign powers that hate Igbo excellence will pounce on that and say you are invading a sovereign country and treat you how they treated Saddam when he invaded Kuwait. They wouldn’t mind imposing a permanent peacekeeping force (made up of the Nigerian Army), ‘to keep your government from invading any sovereign country again’. Would that be true independence?

Currently, South East based Igbo traders can use their constitutional right as citizens of Nigeria to import and export goods freely from Lagos or Port Harcourt ports and their enemies can’t stop them. Currently, Igbo entrepreneurs can move to Lagos or any part of Nigeria and set up, because they are citizens. But if you hold the kind of referendum that they are dangling before you, they are sure to insist that ‘only the Igbos of the South East are Igbos’, and only them should participate.

Any new country that will emerge from such will be an enclave surrounded entirely by an enemy nation willing to suffocate it. They will deport many of Igbos there, and starve the new country of funds to employ them. They will impose trading quotas or high tariffs to control the Igbo mainstay of trading. Before you know it, tempers may rise within such an enclave, and some world powers that hate Ndigbo in the UN will then ask Nigeria to send in peacekeepers into the surrounded Biafra on a permanent basis. You would have lost your independence, because it would only exist on paper.

Conclusion
Igbos should ignore this ‘referendum gift’ and remain in Nigeria and fight for their rights, because Biafra without Igbo ports of Port Harcourt (Igwe Ocha), Onne, or Bonny (Igwe Ngaa), would not be viable, and enemies of the Igbo will laugh. They will come on forums like Nairaland to mock you mercilessly.

If you chose to agitate legally, which is your right (I for one believe we should give Nigeria another chance), then, agitate democratically and make sure you gain at least a port for the country you want. If for any reason you can’t do that, better remain in this house that Zik built (where you have 5-7 Igbo controlled states in SE and SS and give Nigeria a chance to succeed.

Source: http://www.igbodefender.com/2017/06/22/port-harcourt-bonny-onne-ports-at-stake-if-igbos-chose-biafra-referendum/#more-559

Abeg tell the Northerners that we (SS) and them can't be in the same country. It's not possible. Once the igbos move we move. That's for sure. We're just waiting for them to perfect their moves. SW and Northerners can carry on with their marriage

Who is that dreaming a Nigerian government will give you a referendum ? African do wars not referendum.

lol No be only Igwe Nga

Dreamer

OP...nice one. I assure Nnamdi Kanu's led Biafraa will never allow that. People...Northerners and Yorubaas don't realize the sheer magnitude of support for Biafraa in their imaginary SS or Niger Delta. I pity this people and their lunacy...referendum will shock them. Nnamdi Kanu's message has penetrated every crevices of so-called SS or Niger Delta. Go on YouTube and see thousands of so-called SS visiting Nnamdi Kanu.

HarryDuce:
lol
No be only Igwe Nga


Dreamer

You want Igbos in South South to forget their identity abi? You Sir, are the dreamer.

igbodefender:
You want Igbos in South South to forget their identity abi? You Sir, are the dreamer.

Don't kid yourself dude. Bonny is Bonny. You can carry your manufactured nonsense to the bins.

HarryDuce:
Don't kid yourself dude. Bonny is Bonny. You can carry your manufactured nonesense to the bins.

Majority of Bonny's indigenes (not settlers o) are Igbo. The first Igbo language bible was wtitten in Bonny Igbo. If you think you can collect Bonny from Igbo, you are a great joker.

igbodefender:
Majority of Bonny's indigenes (not settlers o) are Igbo. The first Igbo language bible was wtitten in Bonny Igbo. If you think you can collect Bonny from Igbo, you are a great joker.

Delusion at its peak. Seems you are looking for who will engage in back and forth argument with you.

I dont see the point of this thread. The so called SE or SS is not recognised in the Nigerian constitution. So if a referendum is conducted for only Igbos/Igboids only, the SE or SS cannot be used. I suspect that a 'ward system' will be used whereby wards that profess to be Igbo or Igboid will be congregated and a referendum held there.

HarryDuce:
Delusion at its peak. Seems you are looking for who will engage in back and fort argument with you.

Seems you like back and forth arguments. Make sure you contest for House of Reps in 2019.

kingzizzy:
I dont see the point of this thread. The so called SE or SS is not recognised in the Nigerian constitution. So if a referendum is conducted for only Igbos/Igboids only, the SE or SS cannot be used. I suspect that a 'ward system' will be used whereby wards that profess to be Igbo or Igboid will be congregated and a referendum held there.

The Northern youths want to force a referendum that only South East Igbos would be allowed to vote in. South South Igbos where Igbo Land has ports will not be allowed to decide. If the South East Igbos choose to separate as is widely expected, they will become a surrounded country. That means they will be forced into a customs union with the new Nigeria.

Since the new Nigeria surrounds them on all sides, they (the new country) will be forced to pay crippling customs duties to use Nigeria's ports. So, that means if a company at Nnewi, Aba begins to export cars, computers, etc., and make billion$, someone sitting in Abuja can suddenly impose very high tariffs to kill that Biafran industry.

They will then laugh at Igbos on places like Nairaland because such independence will only be on paper. If they close there border, the new country will be forced to send people to Abuja to beg them to reopen, and will probably be given tough conditions like allowance of grazing reserves in their tiny country.

HarryDuce:
lol
No be only Igwe Nga


Dreamer

These ipoos always fantasize

Ekinematics:




These ipoos always fantasize

IKR, Always Posting falacy. He even claimed Igbos are the indigenous majority in Bonny, lol.

All these land grabbers sef.

Igbos and their usual show of stupidity, Bonny is now Igwenga, let this their referendum come sef so dat abandon property part 2 will begin

HarryDuce:
IKR, Always Posting falacy. He even claimed Igbos are the indigenous majority in Bonny, lol.

All these land grabbers sef.

Anyway, the message is not for you. It is for Igbos, and they are reading it, so, we won't waste time on inconsequential chit chat. Bye. and please keep boosting the page with your posts as you have been doing. Good job.

igbodefender:
You want Igbos in South South to forget their identity abi? You Sir, are the dreamer.

I always thought Onne is Ogoni and Bonny, Ibani. What changed? Or you want to tell me there is no Ogoni or Ibani in those areas? Enlighten me please.

HarryDuce:
IKR, Always Posting falacy. He even claimed Igbos are the indigenous majority in Bonny, lol.

All these land grabbers sef.

Yes na, dats why an Amanyanabo & his Alaapu council are overseeing the "igbo town", na we Rivers people dey allow this nonsense, if not why will u sell land to igbos who clearly have alterior motives

igbodefender:


The Northern youths want to force a referendum that only South East Igbos would be allowed to vote in. South South Igbos where Igbo Land has ports will not be allowed to decide. If the South East Igbos choose to separate as is widely expected, they will become a surrounded country. That means they will be forced into a customs union with the new Nigeria.

Since the new Nigeria surrounds them on all sides, they (the new country) will be forced to pay crippling customs duties to use Nigeria's ports. So, that means if a company at Nnewi, Aba begins to export cars, computers, etc., and make billion$, someone sitting in Abuja can suddenly impose very high tariffs to kill that Biafran industry.

They will then laugh at Igbos on places like Nairaland because such independence will only be on paper. If they close there border, the new country will be forced to send people to Abuja to beg them to reopen, and will probably be given tough conditions like allowance of grazing reserves in their tiny country.

And Im telling you that a SE referendum cannot be forced because neither the SE or the SS exist in Nigerian law. What is recognised in the Nigerian constitution is Igbo, not SE or SS. So if a referendum is held just for Igbos, it will be in the congregation of wards that identify as Igbo. Wards and Igbo are recognised in Nigerian law, SS and SE are not.

nengibo:

Yes na, dats why an Amanyanabo & his Alaapu council are overseeing the "igbo town", na we Rivers people dey allow this nonsense, if not why will u sell land to igbos who clearly have alterior motives

Its pathetic, Wanting to rewrite the history of others just to prove an inconsequential point. So shallow.

HarryDuce:
Its pathetic, Wanting to rewrite the history of others just to prove an inconsequential point. So shallow.

You want to know what is shallow? Ignorance, hatred in spite of education, prejudice. It is not just shallow but doubly shameful. Hate Igbos all you want. They will still keep succeeding like they are turbo charged.

HarryDuce:
Its pathetic, Wanting to rewrite the history of others just to prove an inconsequential point. So shallow.

You want to know what is shallow? Ignorance, hatred in spite of education, prejudice. It is not just shallow but doubly shameful. Hate Igbos all you want. They will still keep succeeding like they are turbo charged.

igbodefender:
You want to know what is shallow? Ignorance, hatred in spite of education, prejudice. It is not just shallow but doubly shameful. Hate Igbos all you want. They will still keep succeeding like they are turbo charged.

Lol, the guilt is beginning to set in. what exactly are you yapping about? Hate? I don't hate anyone as you claim. Your fears are misplaced.


And BTW, you have not answered my question.

HarryDuce:
I always thought Onne is Ogoni and Bonny, Ibani. What changed? Or you want to tell me there is no Ogoni or Ibani in those areas? Enlighten me please.

igbodefender:
You want to know what is shallow? Ignorance, hatred in spite of education, prejudice. It is not just shallow but doubly shameful. Hate Igbos all you want. They will still keep succeeding like they are turbo charged.

See this land grabber screaming hate.
Boy you better wake up oo!

Ekinematics:



See this land grabber screaming hate.
Boy you better wake up oo!

See this thread grabber screaming hate.

HarryDuce:
Lol, the guilt is beginning to set in. what exactly are you yapping about? Hate? I don't hate anyone as you claim. Your fears are misplaced.


And BTW, you have not answered my question.

Stop this your information gathering antics. The information passed is not for you. So, why not ignore the thread?

kingzizzy:
I dont see the point of this thread. The so called SE or SS is not recognised in the Nigerian constitution. So if a referendum is conducted for only Igbos/Igboids only, the SE or SS cannot be used. I suspect that a 'ward system' will be used whereby wards that profess to be Igbo or Igboid will be congregated and a referendum held there.

Na wa oooo. I used to hear one Nijeria and I thought it was a concept coined by the Hausa or Fulanis. But I did some bit of research and found out that Zik in an interview granted in the 70s said that he coined the concept of 'One Nigeria' and advanced the idea of the ‘The Indivisibility and perpetuity of the federation’
https://www.dailytrust.com.ng/news/general/my-role-in-the-civil-war-by-zik/119382.html

Just now your post on the six geopolitical zones piqued my curiosity. Before now I thought it was an Hausa or Fulani creation. But I just did some research now and found that it was Alex Ekwueme who propounded the principle of the six geopolitical zones during the 1994 Constitutional Conference convened by Abacha.

https://www.dailytrust.com.ng/news/general/discordant-tunes-over-6-geo-political-zones/191175.html

https://www.today.ng/opinion/75194/the-debate-about-nigerias-structure

It's kind of ironic in the light of history and the current going ons.

I am coming with a response and it's a lesson in strategy.
@igbodefender

I was formerly a supporter of the SS being a part of the Biafra movement until I started coming across threads like this.

From my observation, IPOB has become an emotional organization that doesn't understand the concept of strategic alliances as the most important tool in winning a cause for the long term.

When you have an organization that has chosen that Biafra is solely IBO both in Language, positions and culture and yet at the same time tell you that the 10 million Efik and Ibibio people are under Biafra, then you know that some people don't understand the strategy of execution!

Suddenly Port Harcourt is Igweocha and Bonny is Igwenga in a land where Kalabaris, Ogonis, Ijaws, Ikwerres, Ndonis and a host of other people have called home for centuries.

Isnt it obvious that you are offending the people you should be courting and seeking strategic alliances with? It's a no brainer. It's blanket failure for Biafra already. Nobody that operates a theory of exclusion is ever successful in battle. Even the US when it has to go to War with small and powerless countries like Afghanistan builds a coalition of countries both small and mighty. They understand the importance of inclusive strategy.

There is too much emotion in the Biafra movement and I'm sad that it will cause another round of failure. Ojukwus biggest mistake was his attempt to force non Igbo into Biafra without them having a true stake in the decision making process and that failed strategy is beginning to repeat itself.

Telling the people of Niger Delta that there is nothing like Niger Delta or South South is a slap on a people who have chosen to represent thier minority status by a common identity. Giving the people of the Niger Delta the impression that a Biafra country would be an Igbo country is a reminder to them of how Nigeria has largely been a Hausa, Yoruba and Igbo country.

It's time for IPOB and the Biafra movement to shed the toga of emotionalism and read the art of war to all its members who don't understand that this is not a jamboree but a mission in which thier errors can cause the loss of lives of millions upon millions of people and another century of domination by the North and its supporters.

Just so you know, the North has studied the topography and are waiting patiently to instigate a crisis between the minorities of the South South and the Igbos of the South East and IPOB is giving them more than enough fodder with all this Igweocha Igwenga nonsense. And suddenly a battle that you assumed would be between The North and Igbos would suddenly be happening in Port Harcourt between Igbos and Ikwerres.

Be wise!

Bonny is not igwenga, onne is not even ogoni it is eleme

Fulanis are merely dreaming if they think they can hold on to any part of Biafraland.

Biafrans already know fulani plot is to create another Swaziland in Nigeria and call it Biafra by taking part of Biafran territory and adulterate the Biafran map.

When Biafra leaves, it leave with all its component parts and fulanis cannot dictate that part of Biafra leaves and they keep the other half. They can make noise and plot sll sorts of tubbudh msps which they eill be incapable of enforcing.

anibi9674:
Bonny is not igwenga

Then, what is it? Lagos is Eko, Port Harcourt is Igwe Ocha. What is the traditional name for Bonny?

op i appreciate your concern. we Igbos should be vigilant and smarter than our enemies. that is their fear, kwankwaso said the land held by Igbos in kano is bigger than south east, masari of katsina said that if the referendum is conducted it will only take place in the south east and northern youths even called for declaration of south east as Biafra. They are are only mentioning South east out of frustration and to suppress their fear- a historic fear for a pan Igbo nationalist consciousness that will come with the Biafran agitation.

That is why they want to agitation to go through the senate in order to reduce it to a south east geo political affair 'cos they know only south eastern senators can be bold to demand for it in the senate as a result of nigerian geopolitical stereotype which equates Igbo to South east, and with that they can retain the rest of Igboland outside southeast in their nigeria. their two greatest frustrations is the fact that we are in a democracy and the civil and referendum method adopted by ipob. under military they were able to use the opportunity offered by the civil war to commit atrocies and restructure the country to their perfect taste, ceding the two principally Igbo provinces of ahaoada and port harcourt to rivers and adding Obigbo in 1976.Now such unilateral decision can no longer apply in case of Biafran referendum under democratic dispensation.

Again, the northerners know those SS Igbos will only be happy to stay in Nigeria and answer 'SS people' so long as SE Igbos remain in Nigeria. They know that once the SS Igbos are certain that south easterners are leaving Nigeria, they will join, and when they join, be certain that many south south groups will opt to join Biafra. This is where the agitation is heading to and the north know they cant stop it, hence, their frustration.