Simon Utebor and Tony Okafor, Awka
The Indigenous People of Biafra has declared that President Muhammadu Buhari’s support for Western Sahara agitation to break away from Morocco and the self-determination demand of Palestinians and his rejection of Igbo demand to secede from Nigeria has shown the President as a hypocrite.
The group also called on the President to stop saying that a private discussion he had with the late Igbo leader, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu had foreclosed the issue of Nigeria’s indivisibility.
IPOB said Buhari should face the present reality and stop delving into what the group called unsubstantiated history and name calling.
IPOB’s attack came barely 48 hours after the President’s nationwide broadcast where he said that in his meeting with Ojukwu in 2003 that the late Igbo sage had said he ( Ojukwu) would want Nigeria to remain indivisible.
In a Tuesday’s statement in Awka, Anambra State, signed by IPOB’s Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, the group described Buhari’s claim in that respect as comical and unfounded.
The group said it could not understand why Buhari would be against a sovereign state of Biafra while campaigning for self-determination for Palestine and Western Sahara.
The group’s statement read,” Interestingly enough, there is a well-circulated video of President Buhari addressing the 70th summit of the United Nations General Assembly in New York where he stated unequivocally that no nation, no matter how small, should be denied the right to self-determination.
“Buhari in his characteristic hypocrisy failed to mention the fact that he is a staunch campaigner for self-determination for Palestine and Western Sahara. This same Buhari is the major … and backer of Western Sahara campaign to break away from Morocco.
“The question that must be answered is why it is possible for Buhari to champion the cause of self-determination for Muslims in Israel and Morocco but not so for Biafrans who are Judeo-Christians in the British-created Nigeria?”
The group added, “During his uninspiring nationwide broadcast littered with dictatorial proclamations, the only take away point in the entire turgid show of shame is that Nigeria must remain one; primarily because the dominant cabal which he represents does not want to lose their stranglehold on the finances of Nigeria.
“His hypocritical threat to deal with IPOB members, who are legitimately going about their self-determination efforts without recourse to violence, is indicative of his natural hatred for Christians and indigenous ethnic groups that make up Biafra. It is unfortunate that some people in this mere geographical expression called Nigeria are yet to understand that Biafra is an issue that is bigger than any man.
“We find it laughable that Major General Muhammadu Buhari will embark on the futile journey of deceiving the general public about his brief encounter with Ojukwu in 2003.
“President Muhammadu Buhari and other government functionaries, especially politicians, should stop deceiving themselves about the true nature of the raging Biafran agitation because they cannot provide any incontrovertible proof or verifiable evidence where the agreement was made between Buhari and Chief Ojukwu to keep Nigeria one. And they should stop calling Ojukwu’s name.”
In a related development, an advocacy group, the pan Niger Delta People’s Congress, has urged the Federal Government to treat issues in the Niger Delta as top priority to ensure continued peace in the region.
The PNDPC, a group reportedly mandated by the coalition of Niger Delta militants and youths of the region to negotiate on their behalf, asked the Federal Government to, as a matter of urgent national interest, begin a full implementation of its strategic plan for the region without delay.
The militant groups in the coalition such as the Reformed Niger Delta Avengers; Niger Delta Revolutionary Crusaders Council; Niger Delta Supreme Egbesu Fighters; Niger Delta Red Scorpion Fighters, among others, had allegedly pulled out of the Chief Edwin Clark-led Pan Niger Delta Forum and mandated the PNDPC to discuss with government on behalf of the region.
The Coordinator, PNDPC, Chief Mike Loyibo, in a statement on Tuesday, urged the Federal Government to treat the funding of the Presidential Amnesty Programme as a security issue and that the Ministry of Finance should be directed to release amnesty funds promptly.
Loyibo also demanded the upgrade of the Oron Maritime School in Akwa Ibom as well as the commencement of the Maritime University in Delta State.
He urged the Federal Government to complete the East-West Road, a major expressway linking the South-South geopolitical zone to other parts of the country as well as ensure massive creation of jobs in the region.
He stated, “The Federal Government should properly coordinate the various intervention agencies in the region for viability and maximum gains.
‘’President Muhammadu Buhari should not ignore the clamour for the restructuring of the nation. He should bring all Nigerians together to discuss the direction they want the country to go.’’
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