WAY back in 2000, the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), disclosed its agenda to proclaim the Republic of Biafra and vowed that nobody could stop the quest. The group’s leader, Chief Ralph Uwazuruike was quoted to have said “we must have Biafra” in one of his media chats.
Since then, MASSOB has been unrelenting in its vigorous campaigns for the actualisation of the Biafra dream. With membership strength put at a staggering four million, MASSOB launched itself into the political scene in 1999, burning with the self-actualisation spirit. The pertinent question asked at the time was, how would MASSOB realise its dream? Yet, another question that begged answer even as the disclosure of its agenda caused jitters, was how could the group guarantee that its pursuit would be attained without resorting to violence?
In its bid towards realising its agenda, the first step it took was to hoist on May 27 2000, the Biafra flag and declared a state of Biafra in far away Washington D.C. U.S.A. On the issue of the declaration, Uwazuruike reportedly said “This is a struggle for freedom, like the Nigerian struggle for independence. We are struggling for the independence of Biafra and we rely on sponsorship.”
As to whether he anticipate resistance by the Federal force in Nigeria, he responded “the actualisation of Biafra is something the Almighty God has already sanctioned. It must be. Neither Obasanjo nor anybody can prevent it. Even if I die today, there must be Biafra, a sovereign state of Biafra.”
Asked if he would go underground to avoid arrest before the May 27. He said “Go underground for what? I won’t go anywhere.
I will stay in my house until that day and hoist the flag. Why should I go underground for whom? You see, there is no way you can suppress pregnancy, when pregnancy is two weeks, one month, or six weeks, you can confuse people. But when it gets to six, eight months, you cannot confuse people. So I am not afraid as to whether they will arrest me. Arrest for what? Even if you arrest me, will it stop what will happen?
On fears that he might not enlist support of Igbo people who lost over one million of their own during the civil war.
What is the guarantee that the Biafra campaign will not lead to another war?
Hear him “We came out to say we don’t want war. We want peaceful agitation because of the hindsight, the lessons we have learnt. I mean I don’t know how it will lead to war as we are doing now.
On the issue of secession. He said: There is no secession. We are talking of independence. Is Nigeria an island? You know what happened in East Timor. If you know what happened in East Timor then you would not ask the question you are asking me. How can Nigeria say they don’t want? Why won’t they want? Why must we be subjugated? Is it by force if we say we don’t want to belong to Nigeria? Why must you dictate and say we cannot go?
There are international communities observing this scenario. You cannot massacre t ribe all over the country and then they say they want to go and you say they cannot go. Every time you massacre them, and you think the international community is turning a blind eye. What is Nigeria by the way? Is Nigeria bigger than the former Soviet Union?
Reminded that the Igbo are not the only ethnic group crying marginalisation.
Hear him: That is why we say we want to go now. Why must everybody cry for the same thing? Nobody wants to be marginalised isn’t it? Fine. you stay on your own, let us go. Everybody is crying of marginalisation. Is that true. But it is on record that the word Marginalisation started from a source, the Igbo. It is only the Igbo that have the case of abandoned properties in Nigeria. The Yoruba don’t have. The Hausa don’t have, the minorities don’t have...... If they are shouting today of marginalisation, we say okay, since all of us are marginalised, then let everybody go. That is what we are saying”.
Would he yield to persuasions to drop his ambition?
He replied: “Nonsense persuasion. I will fight the face of the idiot who would come and try to persuade me to stop. I will call you names because it is the worst insult on earth. How can you persuade me when you are cheating me? How can you persuade me when I have no representation in the security council, no service chief while a minority tribe and others are represented, then you are persuading me.
But does he have what it takes to lead?
He sounded quite confident saying: “What charisma did Gowon have when he was 29 years old to be the Head of State of Nigeria? What charisma did Ojukwu have when he was 33 years to be the Head of Biafra. Am I lacking in education? I have my followers all over the place and they believe in me. Day in, day out, our population continues to increase.
