'I Won't Support Biafra Because, I'm One Of The Surviving Biafra Soldiers During The War' - Nnia Nwodo Blasts Igbos

SFrom Maurice Okafor, Enugu

The President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief John Nnia Nwodo, has re-echoed his opposition to the agitation for an independent state of Biafra as measure for the economic, social and political emancipation of the Igbo nation.

He argued that it would worsen the plight of the Igbo because the state of maturity of the nation’s leadership at the moment would never tolerate a peaceful disembark or fragmentation of the country.

Nwodo said that the leaders would deploy all arsenals within their each to subdue such an attempt.

To him, the restructuring of the country remains the best bet for the Igbo nation to achieve its expected socio-economic emancipation and development of the zone, just like other zones will be gingered in achieving same using available natural deposits and human resources obtained in their zone.

1.5em;">Answering questions after delivering a lecture captioned: “The Economic Implications of a Restructured Nigeria” at a fanfare organised by ESUT Business School for its members at Don Sunshine Hotel, Enugu on Saturday, Nwodo declared that he would turn around to become a saboteur of Biafra, if at any point in time any group of people said they have formally declared an independent state of Biafra because he doesn’t want innocent blood to be shed again after witnessing the harrowing experience of the Nigeria/Biafra war between 1967 and 1970.

‘I will be the last person to encourage our youths to go to war in the quest to achieve Biafra. I said this because as one of the Biafran soldiers who survived the war, our harrowing experience was nothing to write about. Where women and children were massacred against the United Nations (UN) regulations for wars, where disease and hunger killed millions of our children and not much help could come from anywhere,” he said.

Nwodo stressed that it was pure imagination and falsehood for anybody to think that the Nigerian government would permit a peaceful dismemberment of the country as many of the Igbo youths think.

He made reference to the recent massacre of non- violent Igbo youths in Umuahia, Abia State and some towns the South East using the strategy of “Operation Python Dance” for the mere fact that they were consistently echoing their agitation for a sovereign state of Biafra.

Chief Nwodo disclosed that he had since taken the ugly incident to both the African Union (AU) and United Nations (UN) in his bid to seek redress for the Igbo nation but all to no avail.

He therefore urged the Igbo youths to drop the strategy and clamour for a sovereign state of Biafra and imbibe the idea for a restructured Nigeria.

According to Nwodo, the leadership of Ohanaeze reach-out for a restructured Nigeria is embraced by the Niger Delta, the Afenifere, the Middle Belt and the South East, stating that except for two zones in the North, it would have become a done deal.

Earlier in his lecture, Nwodo stressed that those who asserted that the proposed restructuring of the country would not favour the North are the real enemies of the North who don’t want the economic growth of the region because of their selfish interest.