• Ojukwu lives in our hearts, he lives forever — Fasehun
By VINCENT ANOLU, Owerri
THE leader of the controversial Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), Chief Ralph Uwazuruike, has passionately appealed to the Federal Government to unconditionally release the detained Director of Radio Biafra, Mr. Nnamdi Kanu.
Uwazuruike made the appeal while addressing scores of Pro-Biafra groups and friends of the late Ikemba Nnewi, Dim Chukwuemeka Odimegwu Ojukwu, who stormed the imposing Ojukwu memorial library complex Owerri for the third anniversary of the exit of Dim Chukwuemeka Odimegwu Ojukwu.
Among the notables that honoured the event included, Mrs. Bianca Ojukwu, Dr. Fredrick Fasehun, Major Hamza Al-Mustapha, who was the Special Guest of Honour. He was also accompanied to the event by more than 70 persons.
Others persons included Alhaji Yerima Shetima, president Arewa Youths Consultative Forum, Prof. Alu Danladi, Ambassador John Fashanu, Alhaji Abdullahi Zaria, Alhaji Sale Hassan, Alhaji Abubakar Shehu, Alhaji Zallari Bello and Alhaji Aminu Gwaru.
Uwazuruike urged the Federal Government to ignore their empty threats, stressing that if there is any group that should be feared in Nigeria, it is MASSOB.
“We are not operating from any foreign country. The so called Radio Biafra, London, was opened by MASSOB in London and Nnamdi Kanu appointed as the Director, after MASSOB had operated Voice of Biafra International in Washington DC for three years. The purpose of Radio Biafra London was to showcase the marginalization of Ndigbo”, Uwazuruike said.
Furthermore, the MASSOB kings-pin said that his group knows the desires of Ndigbo and an how to achieve them, adding that those who are threatening fire and brimstone today, were once members of MASSOB before they were expelled due to violent related behaviours.
“We therefore urge the relevant authorities to release unconditionally all those held for propagating the issue of Biafra, both IPOB and Zionist Movement. They are neither murderers nor terrorists. What they are doing is mere garagara”,Uwazuruike pleaded.
He was not particularly happy at the way Ndigbo castigate, vilify and blackmail their leaders to impress other tribes, pointing out that Ndigbo take delight in killing their leaders to emerge as the new champions, saying “Ndigbo are now second class citizens in Nigeria. They will soon be relegated to the third class. Ndigbo blame the Hausas and the Yorubas for their misadventure.
Unfortunately, Ndigbo do not see any reason to blame the selves. Today, Ndigbo in their usual character, want to decimate MASSOB. They want to be the new champions. They believe that since MASSOB has not a hived Biafra through non-violence for 16 years that they will achieve it through violence. They threaten fire and brimstone”.
It was the opinion of the Igbo freedom fighter that the those claiming to be champions said that in their little knowledge, they forget that Igboland is landlocked and that the five states of the South East contribute less than eight percent of the economy of Nigeria.
“In their little knowledge, they do not know that Ndigbo need deep sea ports to bring in their arms and ammunition to be used to fight an established government of Nigeria. There is no Sambisa forest connecting Igboland to other neighbouring countries, through which small arms could be smuggled in. They forget that Ndigbo have their investments across Nigeria more than any other tribe in Nigeria. More so, they do not have the capacity to carry out their empty threats. They want to endanger the lives and properties of Ndigbo in Nigeria. They want to drag the struggle into disrepute; the struggle for self determination pursued through non-violence”, Uwazuruike said.
Speaking also, Major Hamza Al-Mustapha said that he was able to learn a lot from the late Ojukwu, especially his wisdom and capacity to understand issues an period in time.
“I am not here to recall the circumstances that led to the three-year civil war in Nigeria, but I believe that it was our collective destiny to have had that war. For now, it is unfortunate that the unity of purpose an sense of care to be our brothers keepers are still missing in our psyche and some people, instead of investing their resources here in the country, prefer to invest it abroad”, Al-Mustapha said
He pleaded with Nigerians in whatever vocation they find themselves, to develop the capacity, the will and determination to make very good use of such resources.
“Time has come for us to embark on serious research to unearth our problems an also to hold hands and reflect on the circumstances that gave birth to the three-year civil war in the country, so as to move forward positively”, Al-Mustapha said.
Dr. Fredrick Fasehun explained that he was in Owerri to give a solidarity message from the people from the South West.
“For Nigeria to live, the individual ethnic nationalities must have self determination. Commended Uwazuruike for what he is doing. I am gladly associated with the effort. You have gone this far without shedding blood.
We must all clamour for sovereign national conference and implementation of the national confab report. Ojukwu lives in our hearts and he lives forever”, Fasehun said.