BIAFRA: COL. JOE ACHUZIA NARRATES CHANCES OF BIAFRA RESTORATION

REPORT BY IFEANYI CHIJIOKE FOR TBP
2 SEPTEMBER 2017

Col. Joe Achuzia is not a new name to Biafra agitation; between 1967 and 1970, he was saddled with the responsibility of militarily defending the people of Biafra which he perfectly did. The story of the war would be incomplete without mentioning the ambush at Abagana, a military strike that technically ended the war. Even when ‘no victor no vanquish’ was announced; he took it upon himself to go and pay the prize for his comrades which later had him detained for years but leaving the walls of the prison, he yet said that he has no regret and would fight another war if Nigeria repeat what caused the first civil war.

Strategic division of the people of Biafra continues to be the priority of the Nigerian state; an action aimed at destabilizing Eastern unity which is perceived to be capable of constituting another war attempt. The fraud called Southsouth which Achuzia happened to come from still infuriates him that he sometimes question the mental stability of a man that dare say he is not a Biafran. He continues to urge the people of old Eastern region to show superior knowledge by jettisoning any move or speech that tend to help divide and rule strategy in Biafra land.

Nigeria seems to have even gone further to repeating what caused the civil war in 1967; like the issue of referendum/restructure like the issue of Aburi Accord. Like the issue of killing Biafrans in the North like the issue of the quit notice and genocide song. Like the issue of marginalization like the issue of Buhari’s staunch nepotism; there are virtually similar causes of the first civil war in this era.

Col. Joe Achuzia had posited that as long as he is still alive; he would continue to defend and fight for the people of Biafra but now his body has betrayed him, he can only do the fight by passing or speaking experience into willing tools. He is virtually angry over how Biafrans are being treated and narrated the importance of Biafra, suggesting that without Biafra restoration, the people of old Eastern region will continue to be under slavery. He believes that as long as the objective of the 1967 civil war was not met; it only added to the problem that led to the war, Nigeria is a backward African country that cannot positively take advantage of strength; Nigeria would rather subject and enslave with her strength. Biafra is not an exception; Nigeria found strength with the help of Britain over Biafra and since enslaved and subjugated them. He posited.

“I sacrificed everything to saving our people and we must know how to make a soldier; I thought my boys to face their enemies and first pull the trigger and tell the story. Your biggest enemy is fear; when you see fear, you are meant to kill it and not take notice of it, you are meant to kill it and not run away, any time you turn your back, your fear kills you and tell your story. A good soldier is the one that always tell the story” The Col. Said.

Col. Joe Achuzia has been very much aware of the current agitation and the strength of the agitators; he has been following developments and chipping in one or two suggestions on how Biafra can be finally restored. At the initial stage; he adopted the strategy of holding Biafra by her tail because of the difficulties he thought that cannot be overtaken. But gradually; with the determination of Nnamdi Kanu winning the test of time, he is gradually coming to terms with complete Biafra. His ideology of Biafra by the tail includes restructure which he defined as being a Biafran in Nigeria.

In a chat on the chances of Biafra restoration; Achuzia noted that Biafra can only be restored by either war or peaceful process but he failed not to note that peaceful restoration of Biafra will demand patience to a fault. He indicated that Biafra restoration can only be quickly or timely done by war and questioned the preparedness of the people of Biafra.

“If you want Biafra by peace; you must be ready to wait, patience is the key if we continue to demand what we are demanding. But if we want Biafra tomorrow; we must take up arms against the state, the ammunition to fight is not the problem, and the problem is the man power. How prepared are the youths? We can disarm Nigeria; we can get enough ammunition from the enemy but hope we have enough soldiers that can stand? I will love to see over one million soldiers; prepared in everything, the spiritual, mental and physical preparation”

He however played against some decisions that have been taken by the current generation championing the cause of Biafra restoration. He was opposed to election ban indicating that would set the government against the people. He believes that election ban is an extreme action that must be buttressed with combat. He posited that when election is banned; you deprive the people protection from the government and then it falls on your shoulder to giving them protection. He strongly admonished the ban without arrangement for the protection against a likely hostile government.

“There is no option to Biafra restoration because the youths are out to restore Biafra and there would likely be another civil war with the way things are going. The youths might not be patience enough to wait for the peaceful means of restoration which would cause war. The people must also know that there are two sides of a coin; if they go into another war and fail, the slavery of our people will be doubled; we will even be converted to Islam out-rightly. This crop of agitators must take time and strategize what they want and how they want it” that is my take.

This narrative was gotten from a third party source by the author Ifeanyi Chijioke.