UNDERSTANDING BILIE, RADIO BIAFRA QUARGMIR AND RESOLUTION The robust sailing and newly found drive for Biafra actualization may have been hit recently by strong wave of muscle flexing that has conspicuously pitched the leadership of Bilie Human Rights Initiative and its promoter, the Radio Biafra in a war of supremacy. Even as the Federal High Court sitting in Owerri has resumed hearing on the matter with suit No. FHC/OW/CS/114/2013: brought by Bilie Human Rights Initiative, representing Indigenous People of Biafra against Federal Government of Nigeria and Attorney-General of the Federation: As regrettable as the situation may seem, it was a scenario that began ostensibly like negligible misunderstanding occasioned by suspicion as a result of lack of regular and or adequate communication between the two very important organs of the new push for Biafa. At the heart of the muscle flexing is the question of how the operational independence of the two enormously powerful organs of the new Biafra applies, with regards to clearly defined functions and responsibilities. Bilie Human Rights Initiative argues that it became a national liberation movement for the indigenous people of Biafra by virtue of Clause 4 of the Power of Attorney signed by the Council of Elders of Indigenous people of Biafra, maintaining that since the Indigenous People of Biafra is not a legal entity, the human rights organization becomes the vehicle through which the indigenous people of Biafra can act. Thus, every act performed by Bilie Human Rights Initiative on behalf of indigenous people of Biafra remains valid in law and all pro-Biafra groups “must” come under it. “Under the auspices of Bilie Human Rights Initiative, the Indigenous People of Biafra gather in their meetings as human rights activists seeking to exercise their right to self-determination by the rule of law. As a human rights organization, Bilie meetings offer great opportunities to the Biafrans to listen to free lectures on human rights law, effective leadership, public accountability, obedience to the rule of law, civic responsibilities of the people towards their government, the responsibilities of the government towards the people, peaceful co-existence of ethnic nationalities, the right to self-determination, freedom of religion, freedom of association, freedom of conscience, freedom of expression, etc. This is why Bilie Human Rights Initiative has attracted membership from the elite and intellectuals in the society. In the forthcoming Human Rights Conference and Annual General Meeting of Bilie Human Rights Initiative in December 2013 tagged FREEDOM 2013, an erudite professor and member of the Supreme Council of Elders will deliver the keynote lecture on effective leadership that satisfies the yearnings of the people. “At the Annual General Meetings of Bilie Human Rights Initiative, the Officers of the human rights organization render accounts to the people and file the Annual Returns to the Corporate Affairs Commission Abuja as required by law. This is the first and the only registered organization for the indigenous people of Biafra with headquarters in Biafraland that is regulated by law and renders accounts to the public and files its Annual Returns to the Corporate Affairs commission. The fact is that Biafrans are still Nigerians by nationality and subject to the laws of Nigeria until they gain independence,” Bilie argues. Bilie unarguably, is a body of Biafrans desirous of Biafra attaining political and economic independence through legal process. And it has demonstrated overwhelming capacity to see to the actualization of Biafra using rule of law as its principle and yardstick. Of all the groups agitating for Biafra, Bilie remains the only group registered with the United Nations as a body striving for the self determination of the indigenous people of Biafra and it is also registered in Nigeria as an NGO with the Corporate Affairs Commission which makes it a legal entity that can sue and be sued, from where it mustered the ordersity to sue the Nigerian state to court in a representative capacity on behalf of the Indigenous People of Biafra. The case is still in court and resounding progress is being made by Bilie through its legal pursuit. Not only is Bilie Human Rights Initiative neck-deep into using legal means to get Biafra, it has as well built-up reservoir of strategy and intellectual base that is daily churning out ideas and insights that have made the road map to Biafra a mere rehearsal. It has also succeeded in attracting our elders into taking front seat in the new Biafra. Ofcourse, for fear of the unknown the elders would not have exposed themselves to the point of coming out in the open to confess Biafra and put their names and signatures in affirmation of their desire for Biafra if it were not for Bilies approach and well-grounded legal sagacism. Bilie remains the legal life wire of the current push for Biafra. However, Biafrans are unanimous in saying that Bilie Human Rights Initiative remains a human rights organization, which represents the Indigenous People of Biafra in court and that is what the organization does and is doing resoundingly well. Insisting that “Bilie is not and cannot transform itself to be whole people of Biafra. Just as every other pro-Biafra organization comes under the department of government of Biafra, which is the Supreme Council of Elders of the Indeginous People of Biafra. Bilie Human Rights Initiative is by default under the legal department. That the council of elders authorized Bilie Human Rights Initiative to represent the Indigenous People of Biafra does not and cannot translate to Bilie Human Rights Initiative transforming itself to be the whole people of Biafra. It is practically impossible for every pro-Biafra organization to come under Bilie Human Rights Initiative. It is not done let alone by force, it is by persuasion, conviction and by choice. Insisting that every pro-Biafra organization must come under Bilie Human Rights Initiative simply means that if you are not under Bilie then you are not a Biafran. “It is also fundamentally wrong to assume that under human rights law with respect to the Indigenous People of Biafra, that without Bilie Human Rights Initiative representing, then a Biafran or Biafrans whose rights are violated cannot enforce their rights or seek redress in court. It is also very important to note that legal method alone cannot get Biafra restored. What the law can do is merely to explain and validate that Indigenous People of Biafra have or have no right to self-determination and by extension entitled or not entitled to answer to the name Biafra. In the wider context, it is high powered political processes that will do justice to the question of Biafra restoration and independence. “Therefore, it is only practicable to assume and suggest that legal method is just one of the ways of facilitating the process to Biafra restoration .....a mere declaratory process...a means to an end (if all variables are at play) and not an end in itself,”argues Radio Biafra. Whichever angle you are looking at it from. Radio Biafra on its part heralded the flame that has become Bilie Human Rights Initiative, a hitherto obscured entity. Radio Biafra as a media outfit gave unflinching wild publicity to Bilie and in conjunction with Eastern Pilot Newspapers sold the concept of Bilie Human Rights Initiative to the Biafran public and has since continued to be the means of mass mobilization for Bilie and the entire New Biafra campaign effort. It is on record that Radio Biafra single handedly fought off a group in Europe that were claiming ownership of Bilie and silenced the renegades in the United States who were bent on casting aspersion on the integrity of Bilie and its leadership. It is a fact that bulk of Bilie contact persons and membership worldwide were made possible by the efficiency and efficacy of Radio Biafra. Till date, greater percent of information about Bilie and its activities is disseminated to the Biafran people through Radio Biafra which was why it wasnt surprising to see the level of uproar and condemnation that greeted Bilie immediately the unfortunate muscle flexing was made known to the larger Biafran public. Radio Biafra unarguably has kept the hope and longing for Biafra alive and active ever since getting back on air in 2012. There is no gain saying that Radio Biafra has very wild reach and has through its broadcasts brought Biafrans all over the globe closer and demystified distance and barriers of reach. When you talk of commitment to the course of Biafra, when you talk of un-daunting spirit driven by genuine incorruptible desire for Biafra; you talk of Radio Biafra. Except if ones mind is skewed towards condescension, that is when one may not appreciate what Radio Biafra is bringing to the table. However, while many are of the view that Bilie Human Rights Initiative should concentrate on the court case against Nigeria and continue to provide the intellectual and legal ambiance for the Biafra struggle rather that wanting to coax all groups professing Biafra to be under it. They strongly believe that Bilie Human Rights Initiative should not be run down by Radio Biafra as both are seen as two sides of a coin which if either side is defaced the whole becomes counterfeit. Meanwhile the spokesperson for Bilie Human Rights Initiative, Comrade Arinze Awogu has allayed the magnitude of the said muscle flexing, saying that both Bilie and Radio Biafra understand the importance of the larger goal and how close their cooperation has brought the Biafran people to that goal and can not be distracted by 4th columnist, stressing that the future of Bilie and Radio Biafra are intricately tied together in the Biafra pursuit and can not entertain lacuna imprint at this stage of our evolution and successful application. He maintained that neither Bilie nor Radio Biafra has erred in its statutory obligation to Biafra. Affirming that both Bilie and Radio Biafra are answerable to the Supreme Council of Elders of the Indigenous People of Biafra which both hold in a very high esteem and as such, the Supreme Council would intervene in the event of awkward or untoward circumstance arising. Comrade Awogu however called on those speaking or posting negative comments for or against Bilie or Radio Biafra on the internet or on air to stop forthwith as such could only help the course of the enemy. Meanwhile the case filed by the Biafrans against the Nigerian government returned at the Federal High Court Owerri on Friday, 25th of October after almost four months lull. The Biafrans filled the court room, streaming within the court premises and were fully represented by their legal team. They were however disappointed when it turned out that Nigeria did not send legal representation. The matter was subsequently adjourned to December 2nd, 2013.
Posted on: Fri, 01 Nov 2013 09:01:32 +0000
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