Security operatives must have under-rated the propaganda machinery of the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), otherwise they would have taken necessary measures to counter the stay-at-home directive by MASSOB last Thursday. As it turned out, the entire South-East was at stand still as most people stayed indoors in obedience to the order, thus forcing the police patrol teams driving around the cities to appeal to the people through loud speakers to come out to attend to their normal businesses. The appeal however fell on deaf ears as those who clustered together and were rejoicing at the success of the order merely laughed.
Commercial and government activities were thus paralysed in the state and some youths in Aba were even playing football on some of the streets. In many parts of the city, Biafran flags were hoisted on top of houses Wednesday night, while a brand new flag replaced the old one at the temporary headquarters of Biafra along Faulks Road where the MASSOB leader, Chief Nnamdi Uwazurike declared a Biafran Republic three years ago. It was also a bad day for transporters as most of them who put their vehicles on the road could not find passengers.
Although security was beefed up, there were no clashes between the people and the police, except that the police seized magazines and newspapers that carried stories on Biafra. Just like the markets, all the banks did not open for business.
Mr. Uchenna Madu, who described himself as the director of information for MASSOB, described the outcome of the stay at home order as “wonderful and satisfactory”. His words: “I am pleasantly surprised. In fact, I did not know that our people would comply with the directive given by MASSOB. What happened showed that Igbos and their Biafran brothers want to get out of Nigeria.
This is just the beginning of the struggle”
He described MASSOB as a non-violent movement, adding that no amount of provocation would make MASSOB to derail from the programme mapped out for the actualization of Biafra. According to him, there are about 25 stages to pass through for the Baifran Republic to be realized, adding that the stay-at-home order is the fifth stage of the struggle. Madu insisted that civil disobedience would be a continuous strategy “until” the Nigerian government quits the Biafran territory which it has occupied for 36 years”.
He explained that from the day the stay-at-home programme was planned, MASSOB decided to penetrate the grassroots by mobilizing village unions and traders and engaged town criers that proved to be effective. Funding for the Biafran struggle, he stated, was through free-will donations and N20 levy on members, adding that because of the large number of contributors, substantial amount was made available for carrying out programmes.
The leadership of MASSOB had in April this year issued a statement that August 26 would be declared Biafra Day and that there would be no movement in all areas it has tagged Biafran enclave. This statement was followed by series of meetings and issuance of hand bills and publication of tabloids to prepare the people psychologically for the day. With the entire former Eastern Region already segmented into provinces, it was easy to mobilise believers in the Biafran cause to attend meetings without attracting much attention. For instance, Aba was divided into two provinces while Umuahia and Okigwe have one province each.
Few days to August 26, one of such meetings was held at the Tenant Road Primary School, Aba and two minutes to the scheduled commencement time of 10.00am, the school was full of people and this reporter wondered where they were before that time. These Biafrans, made up of mainly petty traders, motorcycle operators, unemployed youths and a few retired civil servants conducted themselves in such a peaceful manner that surprised onlookers. From the moment the meeting began, nobody uttered any word unless directed by the Chief Administrator for Aba Zone 1, Mrs. Comfort Ogbuoke. Mrs. Ogbuoke had explained that the meeting was called to fine-tune preparations for the stay-at-home order given by MASSOB leadership.
She said: “We are not going to force anybody to do one thing or the other that day. We have been praying and fasting over this matter and we believe God is on our side. The important thing to note is that our efforts had ensured total acceptance of Biafra by Biafrans. We are not afraid to die in the pursuit of the Biafran cause. Our consolation is that God has sanctioned it and there is no going back. Our inspiration is derived from the fact that this kind of thing had happened in other parts of the world and the agitators eventually succeeded”.
Asked if they would drop the agitation should an Igbo become the president of Nigeria, Ogbuoke described all the Igbo politicians campaigning for a Nigerian president of Igbo origin as saboteurs, adding that they were merely fighting for their selfish interests.
