Biafra: Northern govs ask Igbo leaders to caution IPOB, MASSOB members

Northern Governors said on Thursday that it was unacceptable for groups such as IPOB and MASSOB to resort to incitement in their agitations for the State of Biafra under the guise of exercising right to free speech.

Gov. Kashim Shettima of Borno, who is the Chairman of Northern States Governors Forum, said this at the beginning of a meeting between governors of the region and traditional rulers in Kaduna. The meeting was to take common position on the agitation for the restructuring of the country.

Shettima address was delivered by Gov. Aminu Masari of Katsina State.

“The exercise of such rights outside the confines of responsibility is not acceptable,” he said, adding that incitement to violence by such organizations “must be unconditionally condemned as they are inimical to national unity, stability, peaceful coexistence and national security.’’

He called on governors and responsible leaders in the South East and other parts of Nigeria “to rise to the occasion and call these purveyors of hate speech and inflammatory and provocative   statements to order.’’

The forum chairman said no Nigerian would be prevented from pursuing their agitations within processes enshrined by the Constitution.

“This was precisely what we did when we acted in unison as Governors of Northern States when we recently took the responsible position of swiftly and emphatically condemning the ultimatum given by some Northern youths to people of Igbo extraction residing in the North to leave by 1st October,’’ Shettima said.

He cautioned those stoking embers of hate to look beyond “now’’.

“There is need for statesmen to chaperone the art of governance, not politicians;  for we need to look  at  the coming  generations  not  the  coming elections.

“We need to look far into the future with the utmost sense of responsibility and not cash in on some immediate opportunities.

“We need to constantly weigh the consequences of our words and actions and avoid playing to the gallery.’’

He added that the North is not afraid of restructuring and its position on the issue would be in the best interest of the region.

The Governor also assured that the consensus position of the region would attract popular acceptance.

He also said that the meeting would discuss farmers/herders conflict and come up with ways to tackle the problem devoid of parochial sentiments.

“We, the political and traditional leaders of Northern Nigeria, are gathered here today against the backdrop of certain developments in Nigeria’s political landscape that we can only ignore to the detriment of the well being of our people and the development of our region.

“We have witnessed in the last few months, all manner of political agitations, ranging from the sublime to the ridiculous,” he said.

Shettima added:”It is also expected at the end of this meeting of the Forum and our esteemed royal fathers we will adopt a consensus position.

“It is of vital importance to arrive at such consensus position because it is crucial to dispel the erroneous impression created and disseminated by certain interests in this country that the North is opposed to restructuring.

“It is important to do so, not only to accommodate the mainstream of Northern public opinion, our primary constituency, but also counter the specific versions of restructuring which generally seek to place the North in a position of strategic political and economic disadvantage, but portrayed as the only versions that can work for the nation.’’

The northern governors’ chairman emphasised the need to re-invent politics, re-engineer society and redirect the energy of the youth to exploit their potentials.

He said that there was need to provide policy-framework, funding, energy and direction to set up urban and rural agro-based industries to raise productive capacity and keep the youth busy.

“We have all we need to succeed, all we require now is the political will; the will to change our ways, the will to re-invent our politics, the will to re-engineer our society and focus on the next generation rather than the next elections.’’

Shettima said the farmers/herders conflict must be handled with care before it consumes the nation.

He said issues of grazing land in Africa including Nigeria has assumed dangerous and worrisome dimension in terms of scale, scope and ethno-religious colouration “it has been so cynically given.’’

The chairman cautioned northern governors to set “aside all sentiment-laden approaches to tackling this monstrous problem capable of consuming the very social fabric of the North and even condemning the entire country to unwarranted destruction.

“It requires no knowledge of rocket science to discern that the future prosperity of the North in particular and Nigeria in general squarely rests on agriculture and the human resources and talent   we   can   bring   to   bear on it.’’

He also said the meeting would discuss issues of insurgency, the Almajiri system and other problems confronting the region.

In his remark, the Chairman, Northern Traditional Rulers, who is also the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar advised traditional rulers to avoid utterances that may cause havoc in the society.

News Agency of Nigeria reports  that the Sultan added that traditional chiefs were committed to the development of the region and ensuring lasting peace in the country.

 

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  • Odùduwà Republic and/or Republic of Biafra represented nationalist aspirations of the Yoruba people and/or Igbo people, whose leaderships felt they could no longer co-exist with the Northern Hausa/Fulani Boko Haram terrorists-dominated federal government of Nigeria. The Northern Hausa/Fulani Boko Haram terrorists-dominated federal government of Nigeria must respect the rights of Republic of Biafra sovereign State, and/ or Odùduwà Republic nation to conduct their own affairs.

  • On 6 July 1967, Gowon declared war and attacked Biafra, while over 2 million unarmed Biafrans died in Nigeria’s evil hands. For now, the war raged on by Northern Islamist Hausa-fulani Boko Haram terrorists-dominated federal government of Nigeria’s president Muhammadu Buhari-led government. In May 2017, Yemi Osinbajo, who is Nigeria’s acting president while President Muhammadu Buhari is absent on sick leave, declare Second Nigerian civil war and attack Biafra.

  • The unarmed non-violent Biafra indigenous people of the independent Republic of Biafra Sovereign State/Nation in the Eastern land of the south-eastern lay was very ill equipped for war, outmanned and outgunned by the Northern Hausa-fulani Boko Haram terrorists-controlled federal governments of Nigeria’s president Buhari led by Gowon. Despite being heavily outgunned, the non-violent unarmed Biafra agitators appear to have held on to the East-southEast or South-southEast or South-east of the Eastern.

  • Their( Biafra) advantages included subsequent non- retaliatory actions from the unarmed non-violent indigenous people of Biafra made conditions for peace negotiations tenable for independence of Biafra. And as for that doctrine of non-retaliation in their Biafra home country land, support of most Easterners, self-determination, and use of boundless resources, a Biafra leader Kanu Nnamdi and IPOB are very sure of their own self-determination before they submit to it.

  • The six zones have not been entirely carved out based on geopolitical location, but rather indigenous Biafra peoples with similar cultures, ethnic groups, and common history was classified in the same Eastern region. The Eastern, majority tribe is Igbo with similar cultures, ethnic groups, and common history was classified in the same East region. The Northern Hausa-fulani with similar cultures, ethnic groups, and common history was classified in the same North region. The Western Yoruba with similar cultures, ethnic groups, and common history was classified in the same West region.

  • THE leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu who spoke on Wednesday, July 19, said while he was in detention, he was offered bribes from the federal governments of Nigeria to drop the Biafra agitation but he refused. The leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu has shown great strength of character when he(Kanu) refused to accept the bribes from the federal governments of Nigeria. This collection of indigenous Biafra peoples, and the IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu is saved from Nigeria nonentity by the stature of the unarmed non-violent Biafra agitators. The Reformed Oodua Peoples Congress, OPC has supported the genuine aspirations of all self-determination groups who pursue their aims through non-violent means by the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu as a leader is saved from “ northern hausa-fulani Boko Haram terrorists- controlled federal governments of Nigeria political nonentity” by the stature of the supporters.

    Under the Executive Chairman of Nigeria's Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the EFCC charged prominent bankers, the former as well the latter Nigeria's 36 state governors, ministers, Nigeria’s Presidents, Nigeria’s Senators, or Nigeria’s House of Reps members, Senate presidents of Nigeria, Deputy Senate presidents of Nigeria, Speakers of the Nigeria’s House of Reps members, Deputy Speakers of the Nigeria’s House of Reps members of high-ranking political party members, commissioners of Police, and advance fee fraud ("4-19 states") gang of Northern Hausa-fulani governors of Nigeria. To date, during the course of duty EFCC was offered and accepted bribes to pervert the course of justice, amongst these were Nigeria’s Presidents, Nigeria’s Senators, or Nigeria’s House of Reps members, Nigeria's 36 state governors who offered EFCC of numerous millions of dollars and houses abroad.