The Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, on Saturday, alleged that the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government hates the Southeast.
IPOB claimed that the lopsidedness of government’s on-going disbursement of palliative to poor Nigerians to cushion the effect of the lockdown over the coronavirus pandemic showed hatred for the Southeast.
The group lamented that while the National Cash Transfer Office handling the disbursement had concentrated on people from the Northern zones, only few persons in one state of the South East were remembered in the largess.
In a statement by its spokesperson, Emma Powerful, the group said: “A critical analysis of the information on the data base of the NCT office on the number of beneficiares from the largess on zone by zone basis, reveals that South East is at the bottom of the table just after South South where as Northern zones come top. This is provocative and a blatant confirmation that Nigeria has incurable hatred for Ndigbo and indeed other Biafrans in the Old Easthern region.
“This continued rejection and humiliation of the people of old Eastern region is a confirmation that the Fulani -led federal government does not see us as part of this concocted cage called Nigeria. Nigeria state and her agency headed by Fulani people are making it more open for those who don’t know that Biafrans are not part of Nigeria.
“It baffles IPOB why NCT office limited the number of beneficiaries of the cash transfer from the federal government to paltry 3253 in South East, and 10,429 to South South respectively. This is more annoying when juxtaposeed with the number of beneficiaries from Northern zones and the South West zone.
“For instance the record in the NCT office further shows the beneficiary distribution as follows : North West, 112,744 persons; North Central, 88,008; North East, 44,405; and South West, 39,134. What other information does this criminal discrimination show other that open rejection for South East and South South zones? Can the world now see why we earnestly yell for Biafra? Our renewed and unwavering agitation for Biafra is anchored on the truth that we have been reduced to dehumanising second class citizens in the Nigeria our fathers fought so hard to free from British colonialism. We shall not give up in our quest for Biafra until this task is achieved because that is only where our dignity ,security and justice as a people can be guaranteed.
“If the Buhari led federal government can have the guts to discriminate against Nigerians in a time like this when there is global pandemic, at no time shall Biafrans expect love and equal treatment from the federal government. It’s more annoying considering the fact that the bulk of the resources that sustain Nigeria come from oil revenue in Biafra land. Again, majority of the individual donors towards the relief effort on Covid-19 pandemic also come from Biafra. What have we done to deserve this unending hatred by Nigerian?”
“If the Buhari led federal government can have the guts to discriminate against Nigerians in a time like this when there is global pandemic, at no time shall Biafrans expect love and equal treatment from the federal government. It’s more annoying considering the fact that the bulk of the resources that sustain Nigeria come from oil revenue in Biafra land. Again, majority of the individual donors towards the relief effort on Covid-19 pandemic also come from Biafra. What have we done to deserve this unending hatred by Nigerian?”
