The Secretary-General of Indigenous People of Biafra(IPOB) World-wide, Col Joe Achuzia, has clarified reports that the struggle by the pro-Biafran groups especially the IPOB is not targeted towards pulling out of Nigeria but the name Biafra is for proclamation as an identity while accusing the Federal Government of double standard over the establishment of Radio Biafra.In a recent interview with VANGUARD, when asked about the agitations going on by pro-Biafran groups, Achuzia said, “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.”
On the way out for the Igbos, the Biafra warlord said, “The way out is quite simple. 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.” On the alleged illegality of the name, Biafra, Achuzia said, “The Federal Government cannot decide what is legal or illegal for us, hence we have gone to the court. Let the court decide for us. The court should tell us whether as a people, we have a right to answer whatever name we want. We are not fighting the FG over piece of land or territory or anything. We are claiming what is our right. For me, if you ask me, ‘where do you come from’, I will say I come from Biafra. There is Biafra in Nigeria here if we must retain the name Nigeria for corporate existence.”
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