• We’re ready to dialogue whenever FG is ready

One of the promoters and leaders of the agitation for Biafra in the diaspora, Castro Nkume, has revealed why the Federal Government is afraid of engaging the separatist agitators for a dialogue in order to end the agitation.

Nkume, in an interview with VINCENT KALU, stressed that since the government is determined to crush them by fire and by force, no matter how long it takes, they are equally determined to be free from their wicked oppression, no matter how long it takes, and vowed that the Igbo people will never accept second class citizenship in Nigeria.

Would you say that your struggle/ agitation for cessation is bearing positive fruits since it started?

The term positive fruits is relative. The facts are that the oppressor is unforgiving, relentless and heartless and we had no other choice than to agitate for our freedom, as the only choice left with us would be to accept the permanent second-class status designed for us in Nigeria just because our parents and grandparents lost a war in 1970.

The plot to keep us and our region in perpetual servitude is totally unacceptable. The deliberate plot to keep our region underdeveloped by denying the South East the needed infrastructure, is a clear confirmation that Nigeria does not want equity, equality and fairness to all.

Everyone knows the manner our region has been mistreated since 1970. We will not hand over this wicked arrangement to our own children. One Nigeria can never stand on oppression, suppression and injustice against one region because they fought and lost a war brought on them through pogroms, genocide, and wicked state creation that lobbed Ndigbo into one out of 12 states on 27th May 1967.

We defended ourselves, suffered starvation from total blockade as a result of international gang-up and conspiracy inspired by global interest in our oil resources and proudly acquitted ourselves creditably, manufacturing our own weapons and holding on for 30 months.

The scheme to permanently subdue us after the war through wicked marginalisation of the region, denying us our rights and dues and hoping to keep it that way forever is unacceptable. It will never work. We reject such plans.

Only justice, equity and fairness can sustain any union. Suppression and oppression cannot sustain any union. Having said that, I must add that we are pained at the very slow pace of counting the gains of the struggle so far.

After decades of the struggle, Nigeria is only just beginning to clumsily attempt to acknowledge the truth, by the creation of South East Development Commission, something every other region has. There are also the feelers for the possibility of an additional state for the region, which is yet to materialise, and also a promise of revival of railways in the region.

These are clearly not enough. There’s still no talk about a seaport and a functional international cargo airport etc in our region. We were deliberately excluded from the recent railway contracts and gas pipeline masterplan.

Our region is still lagging behind in every indicator and other indices of development powered by the Federal Government. The agenda of exclusion is still seen and felt by our people. So, talk of positive fruits of our agitation doesn’t arise.

The agitation for abolition of slavery in the USA lasted decades; abolitionists never gave up until Abraham Lincoln signed the proclamation of 1865.

It’s like asking them in the 1820s, 1830s, 1840s and 1850s the positive fruits of their agitation so far to end slavery.

We will not give up until we get there, no matter how long, because the wicked arrangement of unjust Nigeria, is unacceptable. We will never accept second class citizenship of the country our forebears fought gallantly for her independence.

The oppressor must realise that we will never accept to permanently remain their slaves. Never.

But is your group willing to dialogue with the authorities, without any precondition?

We are not against dialogue. It’s the government that’s afraid of dialogue. Nine years ago, they talked with our leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu at the Government House Enugu on the 30th of August 2017. Before we could deliberate and make decisions, the same Government attacked his home to unalive him.

The government is insincere and dubious. For decades, they have been trying and experimenting with the futile attempt to violently crush and silence the agitation without addressing the latent underlying grievances that inspired the agitation.

The government seems willing and committed to spending trillions of dollars, sustaining their unprovoked warfare against the agitators for the next 50 years. They don’t want to address the underlying fears, anger and frustration that drive the agitation. They want to eat their cake and have it. They know they run an unjust unitary structure designed by military regimes. They know they isolate, mistreat and ostracise Ndigbo and the South East Region. But they are hoping to subdue our cries. They prefer crushing us totally, so that our cries won’t be heard. They choose to blackmail us, calling us all kinds of names whilst refusing to enthrone justice, equity, fairness, accountability and transparency.

They stubbornly refuse to restructure Nigeria and enthrone true federalism and devolution of power. They refuse to treat every region fairly. They refuse to enthrone a level playing field. They call bloodthirsty terrorists and bandits, ‘our children’ and ‘prodigal sons’, and pay them and even recruit them into the military. They engage our brothers from the Niger Delta and empower them. They single out the South East for blackmail and attacks. They are scared of engaging us because we have the truth. It is the government you should be asking why are they afraid to engage us? We are not begging for dialogue. But we also know that the government has never been interested in dialogue. They hope to crush us by fire and force, no matter how long it takes. And we hope to be free from their wicked oppression, no matter how long it takes. We will never accept second class citizenship. Never. God created Ndigbo strong and creative. We will never be subdued. We are born free and we must live free. Those hoping to permanently hold us down, are hallucinating. It’s impossible. Any time they change their minds and seek dialogue, we are always ready for dialogue. We stand on our demand for a referendum.

What exactly will the government do to resolve and close the agitation?

They must understand and accept the truth. They should face reality and understand the truth, and also to understand that Ndigbo will never accept second-class status. Never. To understand that we Ndigbo must live free in the piece of earth the Lord placed us. To understand that we have suffered for what we don’t know about. And the suffering is enough. We will not accept further humiliation and disrespect moving forward.

We didn’t implore Nzeogwu, Ifeajuna, Ademoyega and co, to plan the January 1966 coup. Ndigbo didn’t deserve the well-orchestrated three wave pogroms and genocide of 1966 that wasted tens of thousands of lives all over Northern Nigeria and even Lagos. Till date, no compensation, not even apology.

We shouldn’t have gone through the heartless total blockade by land, air and sea, in the late 1960s, that cost us over 3 million lives. Such a wicked total blockade will not be tolerated or allowed today by the United Nations. Inhuman and murderous total blockade that led to starvation and mass death of especially, non-combatant women and children. It was a complete blockade; nothing came in, nothing went out. Lack of food and medicine led to a pandemic of kwashiorkor, a lack of nutrition that saw thousands being buried daily. We went through all of that. We were promised fake reconstruction rehabilitation and reconciliation that didn’t happen. Our money in the bank was seized and we got only 20 pounds. Our land was taken away by the Mamman Nasir Boundary Commission, to rob us of our mineral resources. Our properties were hijacked and declared “Abandoned properties”, our people demoted in civil service because they lost the war.

Disparate and unjust cut-off marks for our children for admission for both unity schools and university matriculation exams.

State creation, local government creation and federal parliament constituency delineation, all deliberately skewed against us. The list of injustices and wickedness against Ndigbo and the South East is endless. And you are asking me what the government will do to bring closure and resolution?

Do you think they don’t know? Closure and resolution are not bedfellows of injustice and inequity. They simply find it difficult to treat Ndigbo right, because they believe we are gifted and talented people and granting us justice will drive us ahead of everyone else. They believe oppressing us will keep us down, while they grow ahead of us. They know that only justice can guarantee peace. They don’t want peace. Resolution and closure come only when justice and equity is enthroned.

Why can’t your group form political parties, run for elections and secure your region through the ballot box?

Your suggestion may seem sound and brilliant. It may make a lot of sense. But I am sure you know that would never work because of the corrupted electoral system.

The electoral process is so manipulated, bastardised and controlled by the daredevil Nigerian political class. They will never allow free and fair elections. They dictate and determine the outcomes. They make it impossible for citizens to freely exercise their votes.

The system is so flawed. They have made nonsense of elections.

The IRA transmuted to Sinn Fein and exercised their right to determine the future of Northern Ireland, because elections count over there. It doesn’t count in Nigeria. The big men make that impossible. Watch out for what they’ll do in the January elections. They are heartless and insensitive. They don’t care about you. They don’t care about the future. They simply make free and fair elections impossible. Those asking us to form political parties and run for elections in Nigeria are mischievous.

Your numerous factions make it difficult for the government to identify the authentic leadership of your group. Which of the factions is authentic?

Trying to factionalise agitators is standard duty of security agencies. It’s the same all over the world, all through history. They don’t want to address our grievances. They hope to solve the problem by creating factions amongst us.

They use inducement, blackmail and outright recruitment of some of us to use them to subvert and sabotage and undermine the struggle. It’s nothing new.

A decade ago, they created imaginary nonexistent factions amongst us. It didn’t work. They created fake Ripob and Tripob etc.

All failed. Security agencies and government intelligence officials will always try to penetrate and create factions. It’s their duty. They are doing their job.

But the truth remains that we are undaunted, and totally committed to the struggle. We must be free from the oppression and humiliation deliberately meted unto us by Nigeria that erroneously believes that Ndigbo and Igboland should remain chained and suppressed forever. They are wild dreamers. They are only making it impossible for their progeny to know real peace and progress. We will never be subjugated, suppressed and subdued. The earlier they understand that, the better for everyone. Our children will never experience the humiliation we went through being Igbo in Nigeria. Never. (The Sun)

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