Following the arrest of Radio Biafra director Nnamdi Kanu two weeks ago, his supporters campaigning for a breakaway republic have been holding rallies across Nigeria, calling for the rebirth of the defunct republic. However, Ndi Anioma, the umbrella body representing all Igbos in Delta State, has distanced itself from the scheme, saying they should not be added to these secessionist plans.
Ndi Anioma spokesperson Lauretta Onochie, said: "Like most observers who followed the nature of Biafra in 1967, Ndi Anioma is of the view that Biafra died permanently in 1970 with the surrender speech made by Philip Effiong in which he emphatically stated that Biafra ceases to exist, following Col Emeka Odimegwu Ojukwu fleeing to Ivory Coast. In spite of this circumstance, a few resentful people of southeast origin who are attempting to exploit a non-existent opportunity to make the present democratic dispensation ungovernable, have keyed into the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra's (Massob) long-time motive designed to secede their people.
"Worse still, some people of that region have gone on a wild chase of goose, making diagrammatic representation in an irredentist manner where important territories outside the southeast, including our Anioma have been included in their inventive maps to convince the world on the expansiveness of Biafra and probably for the benefit of oil in Anioma. These people have made a long journey from their southeast region to Asaba, the Delta State capital, blocking off major roads to give the false impression that the Anioma people have agreed to be part of Biafra but for posterity, Ndi Anioma must make its position clear that it has never been part of Biafra in history or administration."
She added that for record purposes, Anioma was first situated in the Western Region, then the Midwestern Region, Bendel State and now Delta State in the south-south. According to Ms Onochie, Aniomans cannot for any reason afford to be forcefully strong-armed into any region, outside the region within the south-south geographical zone, where it is presently located or any other government outside the Nigerian control now or anytime in future.
Ms Onochie added that Aniomans accompanied the Chief Obafemi Awolowo-led delegation of Western and Mid-Western leaders to Enugu, in May 6, 1967 just before the outbreak of the civil war to discourage Col Ojukwu from declaring Biafra because not only did they foresee it as an exercise in futility but because it was certain that it was bound to invite massive loss of lives, properties and sufferings and so it was. She pointed out that his stance of Anioma fathers and people of their region remains the same till date.
Ndi Anioma maintains that there was never a time, place nor venue, when its leadership or representatives met and agreed to enter into any form of alliance with the people of the southeast geo-political zone to actualise a separate state of Biafra. Ms Onochie added that the representation of Anioma in different maps of Biafra is part of the figment of the imagination of desperate irredentist adventurers who creatively made such maps to satisfy their thirst for empire-building.
She challenged pro-Biafra advocates to provide any evidence or agreement in which Anioma leaders allied with them to secede from Nigeria and become part of Biafra for the entire world to see. Ms Onochie warned that any attempt to secede will result in a war which will not only shatter their region but will definitely make the 1967-1970, a child’s play.
According to Ndi Anioma, the challenges of the people such as marginalisation and the poor state of federal roads are real but it is not expected that conflict be used to solve them. It urged Ndigbo to put their representatives on their toes to deliver to the region and key into the agenda of President Muhammadu Buhari to address these challenges and many more.
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