“Every man has got the right to decide his own destiny. And in this judgment there is no partiality.”

Bob Marley quoting Marcus Garvey

“Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!”

Patrick Henry, on March 23, 1775 at St. John's Henrico Parish Church in Richmond, Virginia, under the auspices of the Commonwealth of Virginia Legislature.

“There are risks and costs to action. But they are far less than the long range risks of comfortable inaction.”
John F. Kennedy

There has been a Civil War in this country aimed at breaking up Nigeria . A lot could be said about the details of what led to that war. Blames could be thrown around as to why and how the war was fought. I personally did not have any grouse with the idea of Biafra except that the Biafrans invaded Yorubaland when they should be defending their territory and their people. But one thing seems very clear now that was not very clear then. It was alright for the Igbo to want to have their own country. It was alright then. It is still alright now. It is even an imperative now that the Igbo have their country, because they have the right to SELF-DETERMINATION.

Looking at the Nigerian landscape, it has not been palatable for the Igbo people. Apart from the variety of reasons that I have given in two previous essays regarding the imperatives of breaking up Nigeria , there are added reasons why the Biafran nation must be born again.It is now more evident than ever that the Nigerian dealers have concluded that no Igbo man or woman would ever rule Nigeria again. They seemed to have concluded, going by evidence that the Igbo in Nigeria could never be anything more than second class citizens. I arrived at this view after considering the chicanery of the Olusegun Obasanjo led PDP in forcing out every presidential candidate of the Eastern extraction. At the last minute, the Igbo were even considered unworthy of the Vive Presidency despite having many front runners.

This is very disturbing to me as a self respecting human being. Though, I am not Igbo, but I can feel the pain because I am a human being. It is humiliating. It is degrading. It is slavery. It is denigrating. It is dehumanizing. How can any proud people endure such a serious psychological assault repeatedly and still continue to mouth ONE NIGERA? How could any true Igbo son or daughter see the trajectory of events as they are and still continue to sing PATRIOTISM? Patriotism to what? To slavery? To injustice? To dehumanization? To subjugation? To humiliation? The fact is that two plus two in Arithmetic must equal four. If by any chance it equals three or five, then it means there is jibiti or 419 involved. This would be what is happening when you see any self respecting Igbo yelling UNITY of NIGERIA . In my judgment Nigeria must break up. Biafra must be born again.

I find it extremely vacuous that any one could claim to be patriotic to a country that its stake holders have concluded that there is limitation to your aspiration. It is very difficult for me to accept such even as a probability not to talk of it as a possibility as a proud human being. For any man or woman who has his or her self respect, that kind of prospect signifies enslavement. It signifies dehumanization. It signifies subjugation. It signifies misery. It signifies hopelessness. Nigeria must break up. Biafra must be born again.The fact is that when hope is removed from the equation of a man’s aspiration, everything else becomes meaningless. It becomes useless and unworthy. It ebbs one’s self esteem and pride. It unwittingly builds unwarranted inferiority complex. Nothing could be more unfair than this. No injustice could be greater than this. Nothing could make a fellow man miserable than to come to the conclusion that no matter how brilliant he is, no matter how talented he is, no matter how gifted he might be, he could never amount to anything beyond that which has been predetermined for him by others and not by his creator. This is what is happening to the Igbo in Nigeria . It is why Nigeria must break up. It is why Biafra must be born again.

This kind of feeling described above must be what the Virginia parliamentarian and later three time governor of that great commonwealth, Patrick Henry was experiencing when he delivered his most famous speech “Give Me Liberty Or Give Me Death” in March 1775. Mr. Henry said inter alia:

“Our petitions have been slighted; our remonstrances have produced

additional violence and insult; our supplications have been disregarded;

and we have been spurned, with contempt, from the foot of the throne!

The Igbo are the scorned of Nigeria . The Igbo may be of different ethnic stock from the rest of us, but the fact is that they are human beings. To make any group of human beings feel like this, is inhuman. It is tantamount to crime against humanity. This is what Nigeria has done and is still doing to the Igbo. This is one of the reasons Nigeria must break up. This is why the Igbo must abandon the misery boat of the Nigerian State . This is why Biafra must be born again. To ensure this continued misery for the Igbo, there seemed to be a conscious effort among the Nigerian dealers that those Igbo men and women who are true leaders of their people, who really wish their people well, who are bothered by the state of the Igbo nation are never allowed to have any say. Such group of leaders would not be given recognition and opportunity to lead their people. They are to be silenced through conscious economic marginalization, political annihilation and social ostracism. Nigeria must break up. Biafra must be born again.

Now the stage is set for the “efulefus” who are willing to sell their people for “a pot of porridge.” People of low character, the likes of which abound in other ethnic groups, now have the pride of place. They are those who would rather chase after the crumbs when they ought to fight to sit at the table. Such people scavenge for their pockets rather than voice for their people. The only reason this ploy has been successful so far is because the Igbo is tied to the Nigerian tragedy. It is why we have to break up Nigeria . It is why Biafra must be born again. In an independent Igbo nation, this would not be possible. The people would not be taken for a ride for this long. But with the evil umbrella of the Nigerian State protecting such men of little minds, the Igbo nation and its peoples are powerless. They could not determine their own future. They are not allowed to decide their own destiny. Yet, there is not supposed to be any “partiality” in this kind of judgment which posits “Every man has the right to decide his own destiny.” This is why Nigeria must break up. It is why Biafra must be born again. Look around you. Do an honest assessment of the Igbo. Whatever the limitations of the Igbo, whatever we might all consider to be their shortcomings, the Igbo are not lazy by any means. They are very industrious. They are very adventurous. They are very enterprising. They are very productive. But they have been compromised by Nigeria . They have been held back by Nigeria . They are being enslaved by Nigeria . They have been subjugated by Nigeria . It is another reason Nigeria must break up. It is another reason Biafra must be born again.

The Civil War provided a glimpse of what the Igbo could do if allowed to determine its own destiny. Within those few years, look at how “necessity” became “the mother of invention.” Look at their prowess under difficult circumstances. Look at their courage despite limited resources. Look at their valiance. They certainly made a serious mistake going after the territories of others, but it is evident that the Igbo nation would be well served to be the captain of its own destiny. It is why Nigeria must break up. It is why Biafra must be born again. With Nigeria ’s evil umbrella hovering above the Igbo nation, the Igbo are doomed to poverty and want. They are doomed to uncontrolled erosions in their land. They are doomed to hunger and scavenging. They are doomed to pot-holed roads. They are doomed to slaughter labs as hospitals. They are doomed to untimely deaths. They are doomed to be second rate citizens. They are doomed to never be good enough in their lives no matter how gifted, brilliant, intelligent and endowed. Does any group of people deserve this? No. I don’t think so. This is why Nigeria must break up. It is why Biafra must be born again.

Many people in their hearts really want Nigeria to break up. This is because they know it is the best solution for Nigeria . But they do not have the courage to come out and express their true desires. It is not clear if this is because they are not sure how this could be attained. The scared among us have been preaching hope. They are contending that ‘it will be well.” They are saying “e go better.” I am inclined to buy their argument if truly there is hope. But there is no hope for Nigeria . Nigeria is hopeless. Patrick Henry’s exhortation is very apt here when he said in similar circumstances:

“In vain, … may we indulge the fond hope of peace and reconciliation.

There is no longer any room for hope. If we wish to be free—

 …--we must fight! I repeat it, sir, we must fight!”

The only assurance I can give to this end and in this context is that when next this fight takes place, it would never be like the last time, unless we all behead the snake NOW and break up Nigeria peacefully. It would prevent vengeance. It would prevent bloodshed. It would protect innocent children. It would save innocent women. It would spare innocent poor. This is because as President John F. Kennedy once said, “Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.” Nigeria ’s destiny is to break up. The destiny of its peoples is to be free. Biafra must be born again.

Some argue that it is important that we preach peace. That it is important that we explore less than militant means to achieve our objectives. I am not against such aspirations. The only problem here is that Nigeria is fast getting past this approach. This is because there can never be peace where injustice prevails. Justice is a compulsory prerequisite for peace. Peace is a corollary to justice. We can not continue to look for peace at all costs. As Benjamin Franklin said in his contribution to the American Conference on February 17, 1775 “They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” If we are to be deserving of our liberty and safety, it is important that we stand up for justice. But it is obvious Nigeria could not make justice possible. Nigeria does not want justice. It is why Nigeria must break up. It is why Biafra must be born again.

I am very confident in what the Igbo could do for its nation if allowed to remain independent and allowed to decide its own destiny. I am very confident that in the coming Igbo nation, the Chris Ubahs and Andy Ubahs of this world would not have the pride of place. I am very confident that in the coming Igbo nation efulefus would not be in charge of affairs. I am confident that in the coming Igbo nation misery would not be the lot of its proud people. I am confident that in the coming Igbo nation decadent public infrastructure would not hold its economy back.I am confident that in the coming Igbo nation, every child would be able to aspire to any level without any inhibition. No child would feel like a second class citizen. I am very confident that in the coming Igbo nation the interest of its people would be paramount and obnoxious outside influences would not be able to compromise its sons and daughters. I am very confident that in the nascent Igbo nation there would be industries, sound economy, good management that would be devoid of the Nigerian negativity. The coming Igbo nation would be able to cater to its children and its future. The Igbo deserves better. They must be free. Nigeria must break up. Biafra must be born again.

Yes, Nigeria must break up. It is Nigeria ’s destiny. Its peoples must have the right to self determination. Its peoples must be free. Biafra must be born again.

Robot  Villager

# 1 There has been a Civil War in this country aimed at breakin...Read the full article. Posted by Robot| 14.04.2007 21:49

planet1899  Villager

# 2 Remi, you appear to be crying more than the bereaved. Na wah! In any case, point well taken....we shall break her up then so you can have your Ijebu-Ode republic which will further break-up into small village countries until your family becomes a country. _______________________________________________ No one can break-up Planet1899 - It shall remain intact. Posted by planet1899| 14.04.2007 21:59

katampe  Villager

# 3 =Robot;168573>There has been a Civil War in this country aimed at breakin...Read the full article. Biafra ko, diaghram ni You must be a punk, if you were in Canada you would have been on RCMP'S list of terrorists. I am shocked the moderators on this site would allow you spill this your garbage. You have failed to use your head to realise this issue is about a small cabal of never do wells in Nigeria. What do the common men know? nada . Posted by katampe| 14.04.2007 22:08

emj  Villager

# 4 In my judgment Nigeria must break up. Biafra must be born again. How old are you Remi? Have you or rather did u witness the civil-war? No injustice could be greater than this. Nothing could make a fellow man miserable than to come to the conclusion that no matter how brilliant he is, no matter how talented he is, no matter how gifted he might be, he could never amount to anything beyond that which has been predetermined for him by others and not by his creator. This is what is happening to the Igbo in Nigeria . It is why Nigeria must break up. It is why Biafra must be born again. Who told you all of the above? What exactly is your mission? Why are u trying to make our Igbo brodas and sista feel that they are not appreciated? And who told you that they are second-class citizens in their own country? And what the hell gave you the impression that with self determination and a new order they cannot over-come adversity except they renounce their citizenship of nigeria. Igbos are free to take their destiny in their owns hands, they have the free will to self determination, but not as defined by you..........by the way, be careful of what you say, as you have now been tagged by security agents, and like Katamps said, you are lucky not to be in North-Pole, the RCMPS would have taken u in for questioning:) Posted by emj| 14.04.2007 23:01

felix  Villager

# 5 EVALUATING THE THREAD SO FAR: FIRST POST: "Remi, you appear to be crying more than the bereaved" SECOND POST: "I am shocked the moderators on this site would allow you spill this your garbage. " THIRD POST "How old are you Remi?" They are not Igbos! They dont know and dont want to know about Igbo greviances with Nigeria!! And they want you to take them as serious "objective" villagers who love Nigeria more than my good brother ILN!!!.....After reading Remis latest take on the Igbo issue, these are their knee jerk responses: It is an undefined unity at all cost mantra , at their own terms in a society of many other ethnic groups with glaring differences both in cultural outlook and aspirations...It explains to you why Nigeria is nothing but a convulsing amalgam as we talk today...You can always see a diluted dose of the prevalent insensitivity within the Nigerian leadership amongst the MEMBERS OF THE ETHNIC STOCK IN POWER ...In the height of their mischevious nature, they cleverly hide under nationalistic and warped patriotic argeuments to spew their hatred and intolerence...You will think you are dealing with some objective fellows but when you scratch the surface a bit, what you see is a modernised version of a petty tribalistic urchin! I just finished reading this article for the third time, and I am still at a loss as to why a coherent villager is angered that the moderators did not abort its delivery here! Is Nigeria some kind of God, a deity that can not be discussed frankly for a better tomorrow??? DID REMI TELL LIES HERE??? Is it not clear to every objective mind that the south east and south south are being enslaved in Nigeria???Since 1970, has it not been one Obasanjo to one Shagari?...One Shonekan to one Abacha?? One Abubakar to one Obasanjo???.....In a country of many ethnic/tribal/sectional/national groupings....Do you guys think it is the best way to biuld a state??? ENSLAVEMENT??? .....Stop fooling me with that your sterile argeument about all of us suffering!...This is a "come and chop " democracy right? ?? In a "turn by turn" despensation abi???....Some people unleashed a war to create this modern monster called Nigeria,...Since the end of that war, the whole of the SE and SS have been seen as nothing but a war booty!!! That is the crux of the matter!!!....So keep your "we are all in this mess together" jargon to yourselves....Some people are feeling that pinch more ... As we talk, just Kano and Kaduna States combined have more registerd voters than the whole of South east!!! Kano and Jigawa states combined have more local government than the whole of South east yet the south east contributes more both in revenue and skilled human resources to Nigeria...and when this is mentioned what do we hear???: Shut up! ...It is an elite problem all masses suffer! bla bla bla ...., we all suffer indeed!!! I have never trusted Remis intention since he chose the last days of OBJs terror ,(boy, where were you all these 8 years???:D ) to write his essays about Nigeria but then the facts are there for all objective minds to see , that is if you can free your minds of all the muted conscious/unconscious ethnic hatreds that can cloud objective reasoning...In igbo land , the worsts are being rocketed to power on the back of federal might...Something that can not happen ordinarily......It has led to misery, deaths and destruction,.....If these are the only DIVIDENDS OF UNITY a country can give to her citizens, I will say :TO HELL WITH THAT COUNTRY!!! For those that chose to ignore , let me remind you of the best definition of a State again:A STATE IS A POLITICAL UNIT THAT IS FORMED BY A PEOPLE OR GROUP OF POEPLE TO DO FOR THEM ,THOSE THINGS THEY CAN NOT DO FOR THEMSELVES INDIVIDUALLY!!!....We dont maintain a state because I am a Yoruba and married to an Igbo or because my best girl friend is a Fulani..I can as well marry a Chinese!(boy!these pint size gals are tempting!) It doesnt translate that we must come from the same State... Having said that , let me state that the best option for the Nigerian people is to collaspe the Nigerian State in a way that amalgamating units can rule themselves and develope socio- economically at their own pace ...It is wrong for some bufoons to sit in Abuja and terrorise people in Anambra....If his kinds at Abuja likes backwardness, folks at Awka detest it! More autonomy,less powerfull center,..that is the best way to checkmate federal terror and their sponsored terrorist!!! If Nigeria cant recognise this, then there is no reason whatsoever to maintain the anguish called Nigeria!..Those who argeu for the maintainance of the staus quo are only stretching their claims to patriotism too far.. Posted by felix| 15.04.2007 00:52

overdryv  Villager

# 6 This is once again to salute the rare courage of Remi Oyeyemi in the face of baseless negative comments from some members. A cursory look at some of the responses shows that some forumites have never risen above the mentality of area boys. How can the author's call for a peaceful break-up of the country be equated to terrorism? These brainless people who reside mainly abroad are the ones who engage in credit card fraud and travel home to flaunt their ill-gotten wealth which has given Nigeria a bad image internationally. Take it or leave it, Nigeria as presently constituted can never offer hope to her citizens. Those who live abroad can not appreciate the anguish people go through back home. The case of the Igbo is a very glaring one that only a blind person cannot see. Like I mentioned before, Nigeria is ruled by a cabal comprising mainly of a few Yoruba and Hausa elements and these people have decided that the Igbo would never rule Nigeria. This makes ther Igbo effectively a class of slaves in that country. They dont want the Igbo to go so as not to create a precedence for other marginalized groups especially the oil producing areas. But after all said and done, the solution lies with the Igbo themselves. As long as they constitue willing tools in the hands of their oppressors, there is no hope in sight. A case in point is Anambra state where politics of self annihilation is being played. I have ransacked my brain and can't come up with any explanation why Obj is using the Ubas to destabilze the state. It is only a country like Nigeria in this age that someone like Andy Uba who cannot substantiate his educational claims could be allowed to stand for election which the outcome isn already written. The reason people always mouth One Nigeria is only for selfish gains. The yoruba commentator up there who refers to Igbo as 'Brodas and sistas 'is only thinking of what he will lose should Nigeria break up. In Port Harcourt for instance, Yorubas dominate the oil sector to the detriment of the indigenes. As long as the owners of Nigeria refused to address the injustice and marginalization of the various minority groups, the country would remain one huge joke. Elsewhere, some people have argued that other countries like the USA also experienced our present problems in their formative years. But why do we need to wait for another 200 years to build a nation state acceptable to all? These people failed to see that the USA then didnt have two dominant religions in the names of Islam and christianity which preach that the only way to peace is the annihilation of the other. Posted by overdryv| 15.04.2007 04:11

katampe  Villager

# 7 "A cursory look at some of the responses shows that some forumites have never risen above the mentality of area boys. How can the author's call for a peaceful break-up of the country be equated to terrorism? These brainless people who reside mainly abroad are the ones who engage in credit card fraud and travel home to flaunt their ill-gotten wealth which has given Nigeria a bad image internationally." overdryv You made a very "good" point with your excerpted quote. I called the guy a punk and a terrorist, and I stand by it.That was how I felt so what are you going to do about it? Curse me and label me ? I am not about to let it rip just yet, but I will keep watching how the thread develops and if I consider it worth my time would react to the issues raised in Oyeyemi's article. Posted by katampe| 15.04.2007 04:28

overdryv  Villager

# 8 =katampe;168626>"A cursory look at some of the responses shows that some forumites have never risen above the mentality of area boys. How can the author's call for a peaceful break-up of the country be equated to terrorism? These brainless people who reside mainly abroad are the ones who engage in credit card fraud and travel home to flaunt their ill-gotten wealth which has given Nigeria a bad image internationally." overdryv You made a very "good" point with your excerpted quote. I called the guy a punk and a terrorist, and I stand by it.That was how I felt so what are you going to do about it? Curse me and label me ? I am not about to let it rip just yet, but I will keep watching how the thread develops and if I consider it worth my time would react to the issues raised in Oyeyemi's article. So what are we going to do about Nigeria? Just fold our hands and maintain the status quo? Think for a moment how you would feel if you are from the SS or SE where people have no say in their affairs. I want to cast your mind back to the National Reform Conference which Obj wanted to use as a smoke screen to elongate his tenure. This was a good chance to address the issues which are keeping Nigeria backward. It was particularly annoying to see how the Yoruba were switching positions as regards resource control. Against all agreements with the SS and common sense, the Yoruba backslided the last minute to deny the SS the fair share of their resources. The arrow head who is undoutably a cabal member was Prince Ajibola. There is no way you can hold people in abject subjugation and expect all would be well. If the SS were given 50%, the rest allocation would still be used for the good of other Nigerians if applies judiciously. What the ruling cabal in Nigeria is doing amounts to sheer wickedness and greed. This cabal aapoints who rules in every state. This is why known criminals like Alamiesagha and Ibori could preside over states. Alamiesagh was thrown out of the army for cheating in his promotion exam. How the same person could govern a state leaves the rest to your imagination. The same applies to Ibori who was an ex-convict. As long as this cabal hold sway in that country, there would be no advancement. Posted by overdryv| 15.04.2007 05:12

Obi  Villager

# 9 =felix;168612>FIRST POST: "Remi, you appear to be crying more than the bereaved"........I have never trusted Remis intention since he chose the last days of OBJs terror ,(boy, where were you all these 8 years???:D ) to write this essay about Nigeria but then the facts are there for all objective minds to see , that is if you can free your minds of all the muted conscious/unconscious ethnic hatreds that can cloud objective reasoning... Gentlemen, to ascertain the real personage behind this writer, Remi Oyeyemi, please search and read his article: ATTEMPTS TO NEO-COLONISE LAGOS--THE BITTER REALITY FOR THE YORUBAS, published Tuesday October 29, 2002 by the Nigeriaworld.com. Posted by Obi| 15.04.2007 05:39

overdryv  Villager

# 10 =Obi;168634>Gentlemen, to ascertain the real personage behind this writer, Remi Oyeyemi, please search and read his article: ATTEMPTS TO NEO-COLONISE LAGOS--THE BITTER REALITY FOR THE YORUBAS, published Tuesday October 29, 2002 by the Nigeriaworld.com. Obi, I hope you are not about misleading people on the said article of 2002. As far as I could remember, it was an attempt by the Igbo in Lagos to contest the governorship. I also remember one Rudolph Okonkwo wrote a rejoinder in which he was very critical of the author's motive. In the article Remi Oyeyemi pointed out that it was very improper for the Igbo to aspire to the position of the governor in Lagos state. According to him, Lagos is a yoruba state and must be ruled by the yoruba. The reason being advanced then by the Igbo to make a point in ruling Lagos is their large numbers. This arguement falls flat on its face when one also considers that the Igbo have a large presence in some states in the north. That they could not lay the same claim to ruling in the north, makes it an affront on the yoruba in Lagos. Moreover how could any sane person or ethnic group contest the rulership of another geographical area in today's Nigeria. The county has never advanced by the level of a jungle democracy. In a country where some states of the north give limited contracts to workers from the south, where Zamfara state is imposing higher levies on school children from the south, hw reasonable is the call for Igbo governor of Lagos state. I am by this write-up making it aboundantly clear that Remi Oyeyemi has never contradicted himself in his articles. Gullible readers might be quick to shout tribalism but the author had also written about the subject of tribalism. Contrary to popular insinuations, every Nigerian is tribalistic and there is nothing anyone could do about it. We all owe allegiance to our various ethnic groups. Those who clamoured for a united Nigeria failed woefully. A clear example was Nnamdi Azikiwe whose politics of One Nigeria failed. That was why he had no following in Igboland. In contrast, Awo was reverred as a god. Even the late Sarduana of Sokoto attempted to practice an extreme form of tribalism by wanting to dip the koran in the atlantic ocean in the hope of forcing all of into mallamhood. I thought I should bring this to your notice to put things right. In the said article of 2002, the arguement that the Igbo could contest the governorship of Lagos was rejected by majority of the members on Nigeriaworld forum. Posted by overdryv| 15.04.2007 06:43

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