Tuesday 29 December 2015

Glaring Difference Between Igbo And Biafra

I've always maintained that Nigerians have to be the most illiterate people in the world and it rings more true foe people who are supposedly educated. A look at the vibrant and harcore Pro Biafrans and the opposisinf Pro Nigeria, you will discover the penchant by these people to mistake both terms. For the sake of those illiterate, let me explain the difference between these two people and how they intertwine.

Igbo is an ethnic group based in West Africa, chiefly in southeastern Nigeria (Wikipedia). This means that even though Igbos are mainly in the South East, there also Igbos outside the South-East in Northern parts of Delta state, some parts of Rivers state and the Ndoki areas of Akwa Ibom state.

Biafra, officially the Republic of Biafra, is often referred to as a secessionist state in then southeastern Nigeria that declared its independence from 30 May 1967 to 15 January 1970, taking its name from the Bight of Biafra (the Atlantic bay to its south). 

Furthermore, the secessionist state which was declared by the defacto leader, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu included people of the old eastern region (Igbos, Efiks, Ijaws etc) by virtue of the fact that these groups found themselves in that region and he happened to be the governor. That is why the Igbos across the Niger in places like Asaba and the likes were not part of the secessionist state because they were in the Mid west region.

So, as it stands today, Biafra which may come in different pseudonym is a movement of people who are mostly Igbos but not supported by majority of Igbo people and as such should not be classified as an Igbo movement but can be classified as a group of Igbo people. It is wrong and silly to assume that every Igbo person supports Biafra or use the term interchangeably with Igbo.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Igbo_people

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biafra

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