The leader of the Movement for the Actualization of Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), Chief Ralph Uwazuruike, hinted that there would be no peace in Nigeria until the Biafran nation is actualized.

He gave this hint during a virtual conference organized by Harvard law students under the auspices of Unrepresented Nations and People’s Organizations (UNPO) and United Nations (UN) International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights which was to determine the Land Use/Border Rights and Extra-Territorial Obligations of Nations in the quest for self-determination.

In a press statement earlier signed by Uwazuruike’s Personal Assistant on Media Matters, Elder Chris Mocha and made available to newsmen said the main purpose of the conference was to gather members’ experience with challenges to their lands as well as to share general perspectives, recommendations and good or bad practices regarding land rights.

The virtual conference which was monitored by Mocha in Onitsha, Anambra state, quoted Uwazuruike as saying, “as usual I represent the state of Biafra. In Nigeria right from time Immemorial lands belong to individuals and families”.

“But in 1976, immediately after the Biafra-Nigeria civil war, the military government of Nigeria promulgated the Decree of 1976 which invested all lands in Nigeria to the state governors.

There are 36 states in Nigeria and the federal capital territory, Abuja. So all the 36 governors are owners of the lands in Nigeria and the federal government owns the capital territory Abuja.”

“But the Federal Government does not respect this Decree of 1976. Just recently, the 17 southern governors came together and banned open grazing in the entire southern region, the president of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari nullified the action of the 17 southern governors and said that there was a grazing route that must be established to enable the armed Fulani herdsmen to come to our lands in the south to graze their cattle”

“This grazing route is against the provisions of the Constitution of Nigeria because it is not contained in the 1999 Constitution as amended. But because of his position as the president of Nigeria and a Hausa/Fulani man he wants to enforce it against our will.”

“Because Biafra is blessed with crude oil deposits the Fulanis forced themselves into our lands to graze their cattle. Not only that, they came with their Ak-47 riffles and killed our people, raped our women and the federal government because it promotes these people turned the other side”.

“As a matter of fact, the atrocities we are having today in Nigeria emanate from the Land Use Act of 1976. Because these people came to our land and commit all these atrocities because they have the protection of the federal government of Nigeria”.

“In Nigeria, all the proceeds that came out from mineral resources, take for instance, in Biafra land that is rich in crude oil deposits, all the resources garnered belongs to the federal government of Nigeria”.

Buttressing his point further Uwazuruike stated that, “in Zamfara state that is in the northern part of Nigeria where Gold Reserves are discovered belonged to Zamfara state government. Do you see the rate of injustices in Nigeria ?”

“The crude oil in Biafra territory belongs to the Federal government of Nigeria but the Gold Reserves in Zamfara state in the north belongs to the Zamfara state government.

And the first war we fought against Nigeria emanated from all these injustices. Because of the presence of oil in Nigeria, the Fulanis who migrated into Nigeria came to colonize all of us and use force to dehumanize us, to take our resources and try to fulanize us, kill us because of land”

“And that is why it is very essential that Biafra must be given recognition by the United Nations because if Biafra is not given recognition as a sovereign state, these atrocities must not stop because our land is rich with mineral resources as against the north that is a desert area”.

“So the Fulanis that came into Nigeria want to use force because they are always homogenous in their action because they migrated and they have the support of their Islamic brothers in the north like Chad, Niger, Libya, Sudan and other places.

That is why the issues of Biafra should be given priority. Without recognizing Biafra, there will be no peace in Nigeria” he stated