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The
Indigenous People of Biafra on a Peaceful Protest over the Arrest of the
Director of Radio Biafra, along Ikwerre road in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
Photo: Nwankpa Chijioke
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Minister of Defence,
Mohammed Dan Ali, has warned that the current wave of pro-Biafra agitations in
parts of the South-East of the country may escalate and constitute threat to
national unity. “Nigeria
is currently facing many indices of destabilization,” the Minister said
yesterday when he resumed duties at the Ship House, headquarters of the
Ministry of Defence in Abuja.
According
to him, the Federal Government in collaboration with what he described as stakeholders
should brainstorm and come up with a roadmap in order to abort any processes
that may destabilize the nation.
Vanguard report continues:
He
re-affirmed Federal Government’s commitment towards routing the “Boko Haram
insurgency in parts of the North-East of the country.
According
to him, “the APC had promised even before the coming of the President Muhammadu
Buhari administration that it would fight the insurgency. The terrorists are on
their way out, even before the December deadline and the President has shown
openly that he is ready to fight the insurgency.
The
Minister said that henceforth, all procurement for the military would be guided
by due process, as, according to him, “arms and ammunition, stock verification
and accountability will be key and joint operation is also very important as
the Army, the Air Force and the Navy. Also, jointness in operation is very
important. If the army operates on its own, the Navy, the Air force must work
together to achieve a common goal.
“Leadership
is all about integrity, honesty and transparency. There cannot be a good leader
without these three things. You cannot be a good leader if you don’t have
integrity, you cannot be a good leader if you don’t have honesty, so also,
transparency. Forget about corruption. Corruption can never come near you if
you have these qualities. So gentlemen, we should imbibe these three qualities.
“Where
is your integrity when your own Chief of Army Staff stood up and said his
Commander- in- Chief of the Armed Forces has no WAEC, How? Please let us be sincere
with ourselves. Because that day, you should have stood up and said no. If you
leave the job, is that the end of your life? If you leave the job there are
other ways, better ways that God can use to bless your life,” Ali said.
He described his appointment
as ordained by God, as he noted that, “we are all selected here by the grace of
the Almighty God. It is not because you are better than any other person in
your locality or in your course. It is not because you are the best. So, you
should be answerable to the Almighty God who has honoured us and given us these
leadership positions.
Sorry, Biafra Died Over 40 Years Ago — Igwe
Alex Nwokedi
Igwe
Alex Nwokedi, Press Secretary to the Head of State during the military regime
of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, is the sitting Uthokoneze and paramount ruler of
Achalla Kingdom, Anambra State. The 79-year-old former Chairman, Anambra
State Council of Traditional Rulers and erstwhile Chairman, Eastern Nigerian
Traditional Rulers Forum, spoke to Sunday Vanguard on the calls for Biafra and
threat of secession by Afenifere among other things
What is your perspective
on the brewing agitation for Biafra in your part of the country?
General
Yakubu Gowon, in one of his published interviews, spoke well when he said he
was surprised that people could be talking about Biafra over 40 years after the
matter had been resolved. Owelle Rochas Okorocha, a respected governor of
the people, of course, has also spoken like a patriotic Nigeria when he
counselled that Igbo should stop hating other Nigerians. That comment credited
to him gives a good perspective on the Igbo people of this country. Igbo
people are loving people but we should talk about what unites us than talking
about what divides us.
I
have read a lot about the so-called agitation for Biafra and I even read
something about people who said they wanted to secede from Nigeria and become
Oduduwa country. Biafra and Afenifere are no threat to the unity of Nigeria.
So,
as far as I am concerned, we should talk more about what unites us than what
divides us. I am more concerned about the need to develop all the regions
of Nigeria. I am concerned about the need for government both at federal
and state levels to collaborate and bring physical development to all
parts of the country. It is sad, for instance, that Enugu-Awka-Onitsha Road is
not motorable.
As a matter of fact, when I
was coming to Lagos, I drove through the old road to link the airport and that
road, so narrow with narrow bridge, is very dangerous. I have read so
much about how contractors handling that road complained that they have been
owed for over three years, a situation they said had led to the
retrenchment of many of their workers including the expatriates and that they
were now considering folding up. I appeal to the Federal Government to
look into the issue and come to the aid of the people of that area by paying
the money owed the construction company so that they can fix the road in good
time. The road facilitates the movement of goods into and out of the
South-East to other parts of Nigeria and, if properly fixed, falling and
breaking down of vehicles plying the road will stop and, also, it will boost
the economy of the nation from that axis. 
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