Why Prosecute Nnamdi Kanu for Radio Biafra while Nobody is prosecuted for Hausa BBC? - Col. Joe Achuzia
Posted by FactNews | 7 years ago | 2,878 times
- "We feel that we are equally entitled to that. But to tell us that the name Biafra be expunged from the lexicon of Nigeria while it remains in the lexicon of the world, we will not agree because that is denying us of our fundamental human right. We have a right to answer whatever name we feel is indigenous to us. Nigeria is not indigenous to us."
Biafran warlord and Secretary-General of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, world-wide, Col Joe Achuzia, has faulted the continued detention of Nnamdi Kanu, the director of Radio Biafra while there is an indigenous Hausa BBC service for the northerners.
Speaking in an interview with vanguard, Col Joe said Kanu’s detention on the basis of operating a radio station was weak as Biafra people were interested in retaining their identity.
“The whole world is now a global village. Part of the north had already established themselves not only in our present day Nigeria but throughout the world whereby they set up what they called Hausa BBC linguistic dissemination of information. Everything is said in Hausa whereby people from our area, from the Biafran area do not even understand what is being disseminated.
“We feel that we are equally entitled to that. But to tell us that the name Biafra be expunged from the lexicon of Nigeria while it remains in the lexicon of the world, we will not agree because that is denying us of our fundamental human right. We have a right to answer whatever name we feel is indigenous to us. Nigeria is not indigenous to us.
“Let Buhari say that as far as he is concerned you can answer any name, not telling us that those who don’t want to be in Nigeria should leave. If he can carve out the land and tell us where to carry it to, then we will follow that request but we are saying we have a lot of ties with our neighbours occupying the territory called Nigeria. We want to maintain those ties but we want to answer the name we want.
“Kanu is being held because of Radio Biafra but nobody is holding somebody for BBC Hausa service, nobody. Is that not double-standard?
“If we wanted to pull out, we wouldn’t be allowing our people to invest so much all over Nigeria but people who want to push us out want to eliminate us and claim the heritage we have sown to make Nigeria what it is today. So, hear it loud and clear, it is not in our agenda to pull out. If people want to pull out, will they be going to court? Denying us judicial succour means they have another agenda on how to eliminate us. What makes a man independent is his identity.”
Achuzia said he was proud to be addressed as “a Biafran” as that reflected his true identity.
“You see people tend to forget the paradox about the Igbo. The word Igbo is not a tribal identity, it is linguistic identity. It is a language of a people collectively residing in the eastern region that used to be known as Southern Sudan. From the 14th, 15th, 16th century, the area was known as Southern Sudan. That is where the people known as Biafrans lived, hence the Bight of Biafra.
“There would never have been a Bight of Biafra if there were no inhabitants occupying the mainland. I’m not here pleading a cause for Biafra. No, I’m only taking you to historical antecedents.”
Asked why he joined the fight for the secession of Biafra from Nigeria between 1967 to 1970, the elder statesman said, “No, we fought for survival. Biafra never fought or did not attempt to break away from the Lugardian set up known as Nigeria. No! We, from the south east fought to prevent us from being exterminated in an effort to push us out of the federation. That we remembered out past, the thought came to our succour because when a people are under pressure of extermination, history comes to their assistance.”
“How did our forefathers survive under the pressure that we had at the time from colonial masters? How did they survive? They survived by recollecting who they were and pulled together, hence the mark on our faces. Those marks differentiate the people who are Biafrans. Each community has a peculiar mark even though nowadays, we don’t do it anymore but it is engraved in our heart.
“And that is why we resolved that we cannot fight individually as Nigeria wanted us then. We had to fight collectively as Biafrans. Biafra wasn’t coined to break up Nigeria, no”
Readers Comments
comment(s)
No comments yet. Be the first to post comment.
