*Insist on sovereignty of Biafra as the only solution
From Everest Ezihe, Owerri
Chief Ralph Uwazuruike, the leader and founder of Biafran Independent Movement (BIM) and Movement for Actualisation of Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), has accused the Federal Government of being instrumental to the inimical activities of the Fulani herdsmen in Nigeria.
Uwazuruike laid the accusation point blank during his recent global Virtual Conference organised by Harvard Law Students under the auspices of Unrepresented Nations And People’s Organizations (UNPO) And United Nations (UN) International Covenant on Economic, Social And Cultural Rights Which Was To Determine The Land Use / Border Rights And Extra- Territorial Obligations Of Nations In The Quest For Self – Determination.
Recall that Elder Chris Mocha, who’s the Personal Assistant On Media Matters, to the Leader of BIM/MASSOB in a press statement he endorsed and made available to news men in Owerri over said that the main purpose of the conference was to gather members experiences as regards to challenges to their lands as well as to share general perspectives, recommendations, or good practices regarding communal lands.
According to Uwazuruike “As usual, I represent the state of Biafra.
In Nigeria, right from time Immemorial lands belong to individuals and families.
But in 1976, immediately after the Biafra – Nigeria civil war, the military government of Nigeria promulgated the Decree of 1976 popularly known as “Land Use Decree which invested all lands in Nigeria to the state governors.
The implication is that there are 36 states in Nigeria and the federal capital territory, Abuja making it 37.
So all the 36 governors are owners of the lands in Nigeria and the federal government owns the capital territory Abuja.
Unfortunately, the federal government does not respect this Decree of 1976. Just recently, the 17 Southern governors came together and banned open grazing in the entire Southern region, the President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari nullified the action of the 17 Southern governors and said that there was a grazing route that must be established to enable the armed fulani herdsmen to come to our lands in the south to graze their cattles.
This grazing route is against the provisions of the Constitution of Nigeria because it is not contained in the 1999 Constitution as amended.
But because of his position as the President of Nigeria and a Hausa/Fulani man he wants to enforce it against our will.
In Biafraland which is in the Southern Nigeria, our lands are blessed with crude oil deposits , and fertile. Because of the fertility of our lands, the fulanis forced themselves into our lands to graze their cattles.
Not only that, they ( armed fulani herdsmen) came to our lands to graze their cattles, they came with their Ak-47 riffles and killed our people, raped our women and the federal government simply because they are promoting these people or feeling incapable of arresting or stopping the atrocities these people commit against our people.
As a matter of fact, the atrocities we are having today in Nigeria emanate from the Land Use Act of 1976.
Because these people came to our land and commit all these atrocities because they have the protection of the federal government of Nigeria.
In Nigeria all the proceeds that came out from mineral resources, take for instance, in Biafraland that is rich in crude oil deposits, all the resources garnered belongs to the federal government of Nigeria.
But in Zamfara state that is in the northern part of Nigeria where Gold Reserves are discovered belonged to Zamfara state government.
Do you see the rate of injustices in Nigeria ?
The crude oil in Biafra territory belongs to the federal government of Nigeria but the Gold Reserves in Zamfara state in the north belongs to the Zamfara state government.
And the first war we fought against Nigeria emanated from all these injustices.
Because of the presence of Oil in Nigeria , the fulanis who migrated into Nigeria came to colonize all of us and use force to dehumanize us, to take our resources and try to fulanize us, kill us because of land
And that is why it is very essential that Biafra must be given recognition by the United Nations.
Because if Biafra is not given recognition as a sovereign state, these atrocities must not stop because our land is rich with mineral resources as against the north that is a desert area .
So the fulanis that came into Nigeria want to use the force because they are always homogenous in their action because they migrated and they have the support of their Islamic brothers in the north like Chad, Niger, Libya, Sudan and other places.
That is why the issues of Biafra should be given a priority. Without recognizing Biafra, there will be no peace in Nigeria because these fulanis are different from us.
They are Muslims and practices Islam while we, in Biafraland, we are Christians and practice Christianity.
But the fulanis use the instrumentality of governance and government to humiliate us ; And we feel that it is only the recognition of Biafra as a sovereign state will stop this anomalies” he lamented and assured.
