The indestructible spirit of Biafra

KWENU! Our culture, our future

The indestructible spirit of Biafra

CHINEDU MADUABUM

Onitsha, Nigeria

Monday, March 1, 2004

INTRODUCTION

It is very likely that no part of the world has been more anathematised than the people who happen to find themselves on the west coast of Africa. Perhaps, also, no nation on the west coat of Africa has been shrouded in so much mystery, or held in thrall or slavery by such powers of darkness. Yet, men from all over the globe have not ceased to come closer and closer to these people -- the Biafran people -- and to decipher more about the mystery behind their success within a very short period of time. I have even wondered over the years, since I started looking within this nation, the possibility of having risen to this present position after all that happened. Incredulously, it is beyond human explanation.

Biafra is a legacy that can be delayed but not completely eliminated from the face of earth. That is why, even after more than 34 years when Biafra was temporarily halted, the spirit; the true spirit of Biafra, has not been hybrid as the doctrine of Christ in the days of Emperor Constantine in and around 325 AD. This spirit as I said earlier can only be delayed but lives on. Thus, out of the powers of darkness, where oppression, opprobrium, and opprobrious words have been the trademark for the last 34 years, the unbending and indestructible spirit of Biafra, just as the sun rises out of the dark, has risen again to regain and repossess the same legacy, which was temporarily taken away from her. More than 95% of Ndiigbo at home and abroad wants Biafra, but the possibility of having this Biafra is what is eluding more than 2/3 of that percentage. It is the purpose of this article to deal critically with the possibility of how Biafra shall rise again as it was prophesied, “the bones shall rise again.” But before that, it is important to know why the first-ever Biafran Revolution failed.

THE REVOLUTION OF 1967

This is one of the deplorable results of the turbulent era that followed the malignant hate of post-independence Nigeria. It is obvious that the independence of Biafra was declared in 1967 but prior to that, the country was already in chaos and in a state of anarchy. Thus, in 1966, the intervention of young military officers to address the national ills that had paralysed the nations political class was unfortunately misunderstood in some quarters to represent Igbo domination and oppression. Though this claim was unfounded, the impression immediately created and established a political ethnocentric military force. This led to a northern coup, which claimed an estimated 30 thousand Igbo lives within a period of less than six months.

The coup ultimately led to the exodus of Ndiigbo and other indigenes of eastern Nigeria for fear of their lives and properties. All effort to redress the situation proved abortive. Even the Aburi Accord could not help matters as everything was pointing to an imminent civil unrest.

To worsen matters against Ndiigbo, the federal military government despotically decided to split up Nigeria into 12 federal states without due consultation. This move by General Gowon left the then Easterners with no feasible choice than to opt for self-determination through the declaration of a sovereign state of Biafra on May 30, 1967 led by General Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, who was the then military governor of Eastern Region. With the massive support of Britain, Russia, and Egypt, Biafra was blockaded by air, land, and sea, unleashing on the enclave from all sides. For three years the dream of a nation was brutally laid to rest but, because this dream was destined to survive, there is need for another day when it must be revived and that day I proclaim is now.

THE FAILED ATTEMPT

When Biafra was declared in 1967, not many believed it will last that long. As a matter of fact, General Gowon had underestimated the might of Biafra that almost cost him his running away, if not for the intervention of foreign fighters mainly from the above-mentioned nations. It may be true that Biafra wouldn’t have lost if it were just between her and Nigeria but because Biafra was not to be actualised at that point in time and under the conditions and circumstances, she failed.

The introduction of a formal revolution into Biafra during the war may have been a good idea but we got into serious trouble immediately after. People conveniently misinterpreted the “Ahiara Declaration” – the Biafran Revolutionary Document – to suit their purpose… when the new revolution struck the army; it swept many experience and vital officers into jail for offences judged anti-revolutionary by our numerous textbook revolutionaries…in September 1969, Count Von Rosen, a Swedish pilot serving with the Biafran Air Force who was commenting on the arrest and detention of some Biafran pilots for “offences” against a “revolution” said that Biafra must choose between a war and a “revolution” before they lose both.

Apart from the struggle over a “revolution” or a war, General Madiebo also attributes the failure to the fact that there was by far too much time and energy wasted in frequent struggles for power and position inside Biafra during the war. Those struggles intensified whenever there was a bit of stability in the war fronts. He concluded by saying that, if we have learnt to stick to the jobs for which we are trained and give others a chance to do their own jobs, we [may] have learnt a useful lesson.

[culled from the book, The Nigerian Revolution and the Biafran War by Alexander Madiebo (Commander of the Biafran Army)]

This is actually the reason from the statement of the second-in-command of the Biafran nation and cannot be taken for granted. His reasons are enough to make any nation lose a war, which Biafra actually did but if Biafra was destined to survive at the first revolution nothing whatsoever would have caused it not to do so. But because Biafra is a nation that was designed and put in place by the hands of a Divine Being, her actualisation must come only after that order. Thus, it is now the duty of this article to look beyond the physical to the metaphysical because for every physical manifestation, there is a spiritual interpretation.

From the metaphysical perspective

It is hard to believe but it is a fact that Biafra is a mysterious nation. The hand that controls and directs the affairs of Biafra is invisible. I say so because, for the last 34 years, there have been different interpretations of Biafra, toadies and betrayals within, who have worked tirelessly to see that Biafra dies but rather than dieing it lives on. Furthermore, there is this burning desire in the minds of Biafrans that this nation must surely rise again. This desire is not by any means spurred or connected to the use of weapons for her actualisation. Rather the people believe that Biafra is a nation, which must be actualised after the perfect will of Elohim. How this is possible is connected with the believe that the root of this nation is divine and divinely shall it emerge just as Israel in the sketch plan.

It is this spirit and dedicated desire in the minds of Biafrans that has even made me to go beyond the physical to understand the mystery behind this nation. In the first revolution (for there shall be a second), I discovered that there would have been a high level of instability if Biafra had succeeded. Madiebo’s conclusive remark is highly sensitive “if we have learnt to stick to the jobs for which we are trained and give others a chance to do their own jobs, we [may] have learnt a useful lesson. We couldn’t then because the time had not come. If we meticulously look at the present structure in the former Biafran regions, you will agree with me that one can easily tell what each state is capable of doing. This may not have been what Madiebo had in mind but in it lays a great wisdom.

Going by the present structure, it is easy to say that Anambrarians are not and were not destined to rule over Biafra but were given the mantle to rule for a while, as we shall see later. It is time Ndiigbo begins to feel the emergence of the true Biafran state because every thing that constitute this nation must be put to its rightful position and that has been taking place since the fall of the last revolution. This is one of the major reasons why Biafra failed. Biafra failed because Biafra was not to be ruled by Anambrarians. This we shall elaborate in the course of this article. Apart from the fact that Anambrarians were not to lead Biafra, Biafra was not to be actualised by force lest any man should take the glory. This is hard to understand but by the time this article is concluded, you will write to tell me that we are on course towards achieving the final stage of this Biafran state. Let us now look at the first instance of how Anambrarians were not destined to rule Biafra but were to do so for a while, which they did.

THE CASE OF ANAMBRA

Anambra State is one of the most controversial states in the old Biafran region and Nigeria as a whole. The name was derived from the Anambra River where it is believed by a vast majority of Anambrarians and Ndiigbo that Eri, one of the descendants of Jacob had settled.

Eri had probably fully established his authority over settlements in the middle of Anambra valley… He came down the Anambra River and established a place now called Eri-aka…. Eri had two wives. The first bore five children: Agulu, the founder of Aguleri, Nri Ifikuanim, Nri Onugu, the founder of Igbariamu, Ogbodudu, the founder of Amanuke; and a daughter Iguedo who bore the founders of Nteje, Nnando, Ogbunike, Umuleri and Awkuzu. The second wife, Oboli bore Onoju who left the Anambra as one of the founders of Igalaland

[Igala oral tradition confirms this).

Culled from the book Nri kingdom and Hegemony A.D 994 to present by Prof. M. A. Onwuejeogwu.

This clearly gives us an inside of where the majority of the people who make up Anambra State got their root. If the people or settlers of Anambra actually came out from Eri, then it is very easy to conclude that the gift and talent or in Madiebo’s word “job” of these people must be after the blessing of their progenitor. For it is impossible for a child to go to “heaven” while his father goes to “hell” – no thanks to the deceptive teachings of Christianity. The same blood that runs in the vain of your father is the same that runs in you. For the universal blessing of ones father shall not depart from the lineage of his generation. This does not actually mean that all Anambrarians are descendants of Gad. It is believed by some section of the people and more especially the Ozubulu people that they are descendants of Zebulon. I have not really given much attention to that plight but I hope to do a detailed research on that. But for benefit of doubt, we may assume they are descendants of Zebulon at least for the sake of similitude.

Eri, the bible has it in Gen. 46 to be one of the sons of Gad, who is a son of Jacob, the father of Israel. This is not by any means to associate us with the Jews but rather to better understand our history for only through it we can know ourselves. I am from Anambra at least going by the present structure and I am very proud to say that no true descendant of this region shall ever rule Biafra again as a nation because the mantle and the name clearly belongs to the descendants of Biafra, Ephraim or B’e’fra-im, whichever way you call it.

Gad was blessed by his father Jacob and was given the mantle to seat in the portion of the lawgiver for a while (see Deut. 33:20-21 KJV). It was clearly written in the Parents Resource Bible: “A blessing upon those who help Gad. He crouches like a lion, with savage arm and face and head. He chose the best of land for himself, because it is reserved for a leader. He led the people” This has been fulfilled and the time has come when the mantle shall be restored to the descendants of Ephraim. “Let my name be named on them and the name of my fathers Abraham, and Isaac; and let them grow in multitude in the midst of the earth”. I will in the future raise an article about Anambra and why all these things are happening to the State. But note that the prophesy of Gad ruling for a while never happened in Israel of old and must be fulfilled if we are not ending that era.

It is very clear that Jacob passed the mantle to Ephraim as the firstborn of Israel (see Jeremiah 31:9). It is a fact that the first issues inherit their fathers directly. Judah was given the mantle until the arrival of Shiloh. Jesus was not even the expected Shiloh because he was from the root of Judah but Shiloh is expected to come from the tribe of Ephraim who shall rule after the order of Melchizedek. Whenever I read this verse, I always tell myself that Biafra is blessed and I am very proud to be among this history making revolution”. You may not understand but pray that you leave long to see the glory of Biafra being unveiled in the phase of this earth. The question therefore is, who are the descendants of Ephraim who are presently settled in Igbo land? let us clarify some issues.

THE CONTROVERSIES

One area many people will want to decipher at least going by the findings and proof of this article is whether the Biafran region can successfully claim of containing the tribes of Israel. This is indeed an interesting point, which I have promised most of my colleagues that I will raise an article on it. But on a brief note, there is no way Ephraim will rule over Israel without at least ten tribes. For he is the leader of Israel any time they are in Diaspora (practising foreign culture). Thus, on the issue, I can authoritatively say that the ten tribes of Israel if not the entire twelve are traceable in the Biafran region, West Africa and Africa as a whole. For this is the land, which the final work of God on earth shall be fulfilled. This I also promise to take up in a separate article in the near future.

Apart from the above issue, there is also the problem of whether Biafra is Israel or Israel shall become Biafra. No! not at all. Israel is the name of the kingdom of God but out of Ephraim shall rise that stone that shall bring Israel in one fold ‘in the days of these kings’. Ephraim is the first-born of Israel and there is no way the sanctuary can be shifted from the original place. Even in Igbo land, the first child is expected to continue from the same position whence his father stopped. Daniel first prophesied of this revolution when he saw and proclaimed of the rise of a stone that will destroy and put to an end the great image of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. (See Dan. 2 vs. 44 -45). So, for those who have been wondering whether Biafra means Israel or vice versa it is time you understand that both does not mean each other but out of Biafra shall the lord raise the seed that shall rule over Israel after the prophesies of Daniel. For in Ephraim lies the city of Shiloh (1Sam. 4:3). I will also take this up in the future and show you that the seat of the ark is at Shiloh of Ephraim in the land of Joshua.

THE B’E FRA-IM

Biafra simply refers to the descendants of Ephraim and because Ephraim was blessed to be the gathering storm, all others are bound to be under the umbrella. But this does not mean all those who find themselves under the umbrella came out from the lineage of Ephraim. It is like Judah who was blessed to produce the king and automatically his abode or dwelling place became the seat of power of the entire Israel until the time of Shiloh. Thus, Biafra shall remain the seat of power of Israel. That is to say, whoever that shall rise from this Biafran region as the leader shall be the leader of the nation - Israel and his dwelling place, unto it shall Israel convey to reverence the name of the Most High.

I have already explained how Anambrarians do not fall under that category of people who shall produce that seed. So, this is a word of wisdom to Ndiigbo not to look for any leader within Anambra if they want to succeed as a nation. For the role given to Anambrarians as lawgiver was for a while: To serve as the sacrificial lamb towards restoring the original glory of Biafra. This they have fulfilled as I stated in one of my articles 43 days in 43 years.

We have seen how for the last 37 years, Biafra under the leadership of Anambrarians have been like a nation tied under the rule of law. As a matter of fact it was the effort of MASSOB mainly from the old Imo region that has made most Igbo to look at the possibility of actualising Biafra from a divine perspective - grace. All along what has been in the minds of Ndiigbo is how Biafra can be actualised by the act of war. Their effort is indeed an eye-opener and one that requires some critical study.

Presently, majority of those who are championing the course of Biafra from a spiritual perspective are from that region – Abia and Imo state. I have not really heard of any spiritual force coming out from Enugu and Ebonyi among the core Igbo states. Rather the people of Enugu have the desire to follow irrespective of the method used to actualise the dream but are not willing to be leaders. Among the core Igbo states, it is only the Anambra people who will like to lead. This is connected to the fact that they are the pacesetters but the best “star in the zodiac representation for the position of a king is Libra and not Aries.” Arians can be good administrators, not good judges or kings.”

This is just the first step towards restructuring the Igbo political atmosphere towards a better tomorrow. It is high time Ndiigbo begin to look outside Anambra for a leader. For as long as Anambra continues to produce the leader for Ndiigbo, we shall continue to fail. This could even be the reason, why Dr. Alex Ekwueme, who by my judgement, the best presidential candidate in Igbo land failed. Let us now look in the old Imo region for in there, lies the descendants of Ephraim. I, therefore, challenge Ndiigbo to try a leader from the Imo region for a test and they will be surprise. For authoritatively I say that the descendant of Ephraim that shall liberate Ndiigbo shall emerge from the old Imo state, which comprises present Imo and Abia states.

This region God had preserved and set free from heavy criminal activities like the case in Anambra state and Enugu state. In these states, you can find some holy names like Abia, which is in the bible, Abajah (AbaYah). I have personally visited this area called Abajah and I must confess that there is indeed something hidden about Imo state in particular, which Ndiigbo are yet to decipher. I may not be heard, I may never be called upon to address Ndiigbo but I want all those who have read this article to note that one day this things you have read shall serve as the light towards reuniting and restoring the legacy of the Biafran nation and when you start to see or hear these things fulfilling know ye therefore that you first heard or read of it from the east – the land of the rising sun, the land of Biafra, the seat of power of Israel.

CONCLUSION

You have read it all and it is now time for you to digest. In less than three months, we will be celebrating the 37^th birthday of Biafra just three short of the 40^th birthday. Ironically, it shall land us in the year 2007. What will you have to say or do on that day? To give a lecture and stop there and next year organise another seminar and drop another lecture and stop there? I laugh because the solution is not lecture. For I do not think there can be any better lecture than the revelation of this article. All you owe this nation is to put your foot in the shoe that fits you and allow others to wear the ones that fits them

I also praise all those who are fighting for the actualisation of Biafra. But they all should know that the common objective of this struggle is Biafra and it is not a divided nation. Therefore I urge all those who are fighting for the actualisation of Biafra to put these efforts in one basket. This will help us achieve Biafra as a united force. For the rest of you, all you owe this nation is to put your foot in the shoe that fits you and allow others to wear the ones that fits them.

I leave you once again with Madiebo’s words: “if we have learnt to stick to the jobs for which we are trained and give others a chance to do their own jobs, we [may] have learnt a useful lesson.”

“The revolution is indestructible and eternal”

BIAFRA LIVES