Biafra: Agitators renew hope for reconciliation

.How Nnamdi Kanu, Uwazuruike, Uchenna Madu turn foes battling same cause

From OKEY SAMPSON, Aba; GEORGE ONYEJIUWA,Owerri;JEFF AMECHI AGBODO, Onitsha

Numerous who catch wind of Biafra today regularly relate it with the late Igbo pioneer, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumeg­wu Ojukwu, who drove the Biafrans in the common war from 1967 to 1970. Actu­ally, the name has its own particular inception.

That in any case, after the common war, Ojukwu had proceeded in his journey to shield the reason for the Igbo man dependably. In any case, he didn't grasp the Movement for the Actu­alization of the Sovereign State of Bi­afra (MASSOB) when the development made its introduction in 1999.

Around then, the late Biafran war­lord was incredulous about the survival of MASSOB, having seen blood amid the common war. Reason? Ojukwu did not have any desire to get included in anything that would prompt phlebotomy.

It was the point at which the pioneer of MASSOB, Chief Ralph Uwazuruike guaranteed him that the new development would be peaceful that Ojukwu tossed his weight behind the gathering.

In any case, taking after the passing of Ojukwu in 2011, MASSOB started to have se­rious issues as Ojukwu who used to mediate in times of emergency was no more. A hefty portion of the individuals in this manner, hauled out to shape chip bunches.

In the interim, pioneers of the gatherings who addressed Saturday Sun as of late still trust they can accomplish the sov­ereign condition of Biafra in spite of their dif­ferences.

At the outset

Before 1967 when the common war broke out, what sparingly got to be known as Biafra was a territory in the South Hemisphere, inside of the Gulf of Guinea, known as the Bight of Biafra.

The name turned out to be more pro­nounced when the then military Governor of Eastern Nigeria, Lt. Col. Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, pronounced the zone a sovereign state and called it the Republic of Biafra.

The fratricidal common war which fol­lowed later finished that underlying battle, yet like the creepy crawly, the name did not kick the bucket.

In 1999, a not very surely understood law­yer, Chief Ralph Uwazuruike, from Okwe in Onuimo Local Government Area of Imo State, showed up not too far off to start what could be labeled the second period of the battle with the development of MASSOB.

Uwazuruike who started the new battle from his remote Agunlejika, Lagos living arrangement took the nation by tempest even the same number of individuals kept in touch with him off at first. In any case, the MASSOB found­er went into the battle, applying the teaching of peacefulness.

Genesis of the MASSOB battle

Driving Saturday Sun into how MASSOB started the battle, its new pioneer, Mr Solomon Chukwu said the battle, which he says was an off­shoot of the one began by Ojukwu, was by virtue of the charged margin­alisation of the Igbo individuals in the pol­ity which Ojukwu responded to as a call.

As indicated by Chukwu, what Ojukwu started at the time finished in the peace accord in Aburi, Ghana. Among the understandings came to at the meeting ac­cording to him, was that the zone known as Biafra ought to be permitted to control her assets and pay little to the middle.

He lamented that subsequent to marking the ac­cord, General Yakubu Gowon (rtd), in light of the exhortation from Britain, re­neged on the assention which prompted the common war.

"After the common war finished in 1970, in 1999, we began the battle again however on an alternate plane. It was peacefulness. We are not conveying weapons or blades, but rather we are telling Nigeria and the entire world that we need our flexibility; we should be all alone," he said.

Triumphs so far

The new MASSOB pioneer was speedy in conceding that his gathering has pulled the series of accomplishments since it began the battle.

"Yes, I can say that we have re­corded victories as such. Notwithstanding whatever other thing, from 1999 till now, Biafra has at the end of the day turn into an easily recognized name. Prior to this time, at whatever point you specified Biafra, you could be stoned to death, butit is not all that once more. This accomplishment of a thing is a slow process when tak­ing into cognisance our peaceful methodology. We need to take after Ma­hatma Ghandi's method for actualising the fantasy with the goal that we will accomplish it toward the end. In any event, Biafra, for the time being will be being heard everywhere throughout the world and we will arrive in no removed time," he said.

Chukwu communicated the perspective that what made the triumphs recorded so far conceivable were the commit­ment of the administration and the various individuals from MASSOB who he said have yielded a ton for the battle.

He likewise specified the organiza­tion's peaceful methodology as an­other development in its example of overcoming adversity.

How discord crawled into MASSOB

Chukwu said it was the narrow minded de­sire of a portion of the prime performers to go astray from the peaceful stance of the battle however go brutal was the significant reason that prompted the chip bunches.

Hear him: "From my very own examination, those individuals that left MASSOB did as such in light of the fact that they trust that we can't accomplish our point with­out savagery, they need ed to utilize vio­lence in getting it. Boss Ralph Uwa­zuruike is as yet saying no, MASSOB is as yet saying no.The Bill of Right that we marked with the world body depended on peacefulness and its absolutely impossible we can change that for the time being, we will proceed with the peacefulness until we arrive.

"Numerous individuals like the Zionists which is being going by a legal advisor. Shouldn't something be said about Captain Jumbo's gathering and other people who split away, attempting to complete the Biafran state through viciousness? It has not been conceivable. By our methodology which includes dialog, tranquil dissents and round-table dis­cussions, I think we are getting to the end of it.

"A portion of the persons who trust they can accomplish the condition of Biafra through savagery are Uchenna Madu and his gathering, the Zionists, Ekwenche and others. They split far from MASSOB supposing they will get it through viciousness, however I don't think it is conceivable. MASSOB does not have confidence in that, regardless we remain peaceful, we are not going to convey blades, we are not going to convey weapons, but rather we will get to the end of our battle".

MASSOB not undermined by fragment bunches

MASSOB, as per Chukwu, is not at all undermined by the splin­ters' followership which is not in any case enough and which to him educated why they are coming up short.

"The same individuals who said they were Zionists a few years back are the same individuals who have transformed into the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). By the following a few years, you will see they will change their name into something else for the sake of accomplishing Biafra through roughness, however it is unrealistic," Chukwu said.

Probability of meeting up once more

Despite the bay that ap­pears to remain between Uchenna Madu-drove group of MASSOB on one hand and MASSOB drove by Uwa­zuruike's Chukwu then again, the new MASSOB pioneer still trusts that they can beat their differenc­es and meet up to work for the normal objective of accomplishing the condition of Biafra.

Be that as it may, one thing must be done; the returnees so to say, must evacuate the frock of savagery in them.

"In spite of what these individuals are do­ing, MASSOB is still one and will re­main one substance. In the event that you need to know whether what I'm letting you know is reality, we have our days of meeting, I can welcome you, and you come and see things for yourself. We have struc­tures everywhere throughout the nation, even abroad. MASSOB is still solid as it was at the underlying time; we are notwithstanding getting stron­ger and more grounded.

Our populace has expanded. Without sounding forward, inside of the South-East and South-South, we have a populace that on the off chance that I let you know, you will wonder, we are truly not moving back, we are progressing. Be that as it may, that in any case, we are prepared to ac­cept our siblings in the battle back and work with them in the event that they are prepared to transform from their savage stance," Chukwu said.

The new Biafran pioneer unequivocally be­lieved that the minimal split in the dividers of MASSOB couldn't have been if the Nigeria blood was not at present going crazy in a percentage of the characters.

"Anyone who needs to topple his dad will give a wide range of reasons. Any awful child who needs to lay down with his dad's wife will dependably let you know he did that in light of the fact that the lady strolled before him stripped. If not that, Chief Uwazuruike is interested in everyone; the financial balances of MASSOB were not opened in Uwazuruike's name.

"Wowser something, Uchenna Madu was our Director of Information. Prior to that, he was a local adminis­trator. Each local manager has his own particular record which he controls. The minimal paid to the inside is overseen by an advisory group which is utilizing it to construct our focal secretariat at Owerri. Along these lines, on the off chance that he is blaming Uwazuruike for embezzle­ment, go to Okwe the place where he grew up and see what the battle has done to his fa­ther's compound. Every one of the structures were wrecked, the one he has in Owerri was annihilated. Every one of his vehicles, a large portion of them are presently in police headquarters all for the sake of the battle. I wouldn't know how he ought to be blamed for embezzle­ment when where he is staying in Ow­erri now is MASSOB building, the sec­retariat we are building is MASSOB's. The vehicles you see him use were given by a few individuals who put stock in the battle and they are MASSOB's, not Uwazurike's. Uchenna Madu as the then Director of Information, had directly over the vehicles as Uwazuruike as he was constantly permitted to convey one and use as he enjoyed. Uwazuruike is not a covetous man. The main thing as I said before is that he loathed brutality and huge numbers of his traducers disliked that," he said.

In spite of all these, Chukwu said MAS­SOB initiative holds nothing against Uchenna Madu and other people who split away, expressing that they are still viewed as MASSOB individuals, however demanded they ought to recover their strides and key into the peacefulness position which he said MASSOB is known for.

MASSOB has all it takes to actualise Biafra

Not minding the olive branch Chuk­wu stretched out to the administration of other fragment gathers so they can cooperate for the basic objective, he how­ever, said that MASSOB has all it takes to bear on mind