Biafra
Post-humous award for Abiola : IPOB alleges scheming by north to divide south
MKO Abiola
IPOB made this known in a statement signed by the Media and Publicity Secretary of IPOB, Comrade Emma Powerful, yesterday, saying that “this belated move by the north was like giving a dead man “medicine after his death and too little and too late.”
The Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, has said President Muhammadu Buhari’s posthumous awards to late Chief MKO Abiola and Chief Gani Fawehinmi was another clever but desperate attempt by northern agents of neo-colonialism to drive a wedge between the burgeoning understanding between the eastern and western parts of the country.
It stated, “Isn’t it odd that the same people that detained and killed Abiola are now cosmetically rewarding him with a posthumous presidency so close to an election year? “The north is desperately hoping that Yoruba will once again accept this Greek gift and in turn reward them with their votes in 2019 as they did in 2015. “In the process of renewing for another four years, the tenure of the most mediocre, barbaric, brutal, despotic, genocidal and undemocratic regime in living memory.
Yoruba must spare a thought for the people in Middle Belt and what they are experiencing in the hands of terrorists, before deciding to embrace Buhari with open arms. “The question most people are asking is, when will Yoruba, bring to an end their one-sided relationship with the north? Similar overtures were made to the West in the run-up to the Biafra-Nigeria war when Chief Obafemi Awolowo was offered vice president position to Gen. Yakubu Gowon which he accepted thereby abandoning his earlier agreement with Ojukwu.
“Thankfully, eminent statesmen like Pa Ayo Adebanjo have come out to condemn the whole posthumous charade. “It will be unfortunate if other leading lights in the West were to allow themselves to be easily deceived by the June 12 pronouncement from Aso Rock. “Yoruba have a golden opportunity now to rewrite African history before 2019 elections by insisting on their Ibadan declaration that there won’t be any elections in Nigeria unless the basis of the union is ascertained and renegotiated.
This principled stance must be maintained because that is the only language Arewa north will understand, respect and respond to.” Failure to hold rigidly to this stance will condemn Nigeria to a violent disintegration because full Islamisation, which the North are bound to unleash after their victory next year, will be resisted by force if need be by those of us in the East. “We must not forget that it was the same core Arewa North that imprisoned Chief Awolowo.
It was later a Biafran soldier, Chukwuma Nzeogwu that led a coup with the sole aim of releasing Awolowo from prison and install him as the Prime Minister of Nigeria. “It was another Igbo man, Ojukwu, that eventually released Awolowo from prison… The same thing happened with Obasanjo’s civilian presidency, which again was another move by the Fulani caliphate to assuage grieving Yoruba people after the annulment of June 12 and killing of Abiola.
“Today even Obasanjo who was once their darling is now in their firing line. This big brother relationship had always been at play between the core north and Yoruba for centuries. We should remember what Fulani did to Yoruba in Illorin where the Afonja, a Yoruba prince was temporarily made the political head of the invading Fulani Islamic army to get him to turn against his fellow Yoruba. At the end of that campaign Afonja was killed by the Fulani and his land converted to Fulani emirate.
“A Yoruba Oba will never in this life sit on the royal throne in Ilorin. Ilorin emirate has become the exclusive prerogative of the Fulani. This unfortunate outcome and Yoruba national disgrace was made possible because a Yoruba man accepted what appeared on the face of it an exalted political position not knowing it was a Trojan horse.
“These mistakes of the past must not be repeated by this present Yoruba generation. Yoruba are learned, cosmopolitan and urbane. They have enough intelligent people in their ranks to understand the damaging effect these periodic politically motivated inducements from the north can portend in the long run. “That mere posthumous award of GCFR to Abiola is sufficient to erase the horrors of this Buhari regime in the minds of Yoruba is an insult and if entertained will speak volumes about the political priorities of the Yoruba race.
The Yoruba enlightened political class must maintain a principled commitment to a change that will be of benefit to all, even where that change may include total disintegration of Nigeria as advocated by IPOB.”