MASSOB'S RALPH UWAZULIKE, HAS HE LOST HIS RELEVANCE?

Icheoku says unfortunately the battle for the souls and minds of Biafran people for their leadership has ensued and is becoming ugly. The very reason Biafran antagonists, sarcastically say that they are worried that an independent Biafra would be plunged into perpetual turmoil because of internecine struggle for power. The leader or rather former leader of MASSOB, who is currently leading BIM, (Biafra Independent Movement), now feeling threatened by the high visibility and extreme popularity of Nnamdi Kanu, as the emerging or emerged arrow-head of Biafra, is now fighting for his life and fighting dirty, to remain relevant as the leader of Biafra. 

Icheoku admonishes that leaders are not self-imposed; they are thrown up by circumstances and organically emerges by the peoples' popular support. In this department therefore, Nnamdi Kanu is the man of the hour as every true blood Biafran agrees that he has shown the courage and audacity required for true-born leaders. Therefore, all Uwazulike can do now is to step aside and stay out of the way of a mass movement which is entirely different from his group of members only MASSOB. At best, Uwazulike can act as the father figure of the Biafran struggle; but he must not allow his ego to deceive him into thinking that his position trumps Nnamdi Kanu's. Icheoku says that Uwazulike's sun had risen and is now set; eclipsed by the newly emerged authentic leader of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu. Nnamdi Kanu is currently the man President Muhammadu Buhari's government of Nigeria is sleeplessly worried about; and is attacking with all it has just for standing up to call for a rebirth of a nation which is long since overdue. Nnamdi Kanu is the "EBEANO" and the "OHAMADIKE" of Biafra; so whatever Uwazulike had contributed to the struggle is hereby acknowledged as history.

But unfortunately instead of enjoying and celebrating with every Biafran with the current whirlwind called Nnamdi Kanu and his IPOB (Indigenous Peoples of Biafra), Uwazulike is being the Grinch. But unlike the real Grinch that stole Christmas, Biafrans will not allow Uwazulike to take the shine out of what is going on nor its alter-ego Nnamdi Kanu. Uwazulike can form whatever number of organizations he likes or rename existing ones or rebrand his MASSOB, there is room for everybody, provided the agenda remains the same - Biafra rebirth. Icheoku says attacking Nnamdi Kanu will not cut it nor restore Uwazulike to an utopian height of his dreams as leader of Biafra. Therefore he must back off and back down from his present course of conduct,  attacking innocent Nnamdi Kanu and the IPOB who has done nothing to him or he will have another thing coming his way from the people of Biafra. Uwazulike does not won Biafra and neither did Ojukwu and therefore he does not have any exclusivity to the desire to have Biafra resuscitated.

Uwazulike who is suddenly now preaching against violence has been threatening violence for quite some time now; only that the lacked the bile to put his money where his mouth was. Uwazulike once threatened to go to war if the peaceful stance of MASSOB is not accorded due attention by the government. The same Uwazulike also threatened to go to war if the government continues to kill its members and if the continuous killing of Ndigbo in the North does not stop. In an interview with Daily Sun newspaper on June 20, 2011, Uwazulike regretted that the government has ignored his MASSOB group and threatened to take to violence like Boko Haram. In the same interview he congratulated Boko Haram and flirted with the idea of joining Boko Haram for adopting a method which works in Nigeria. In his own words, Uwazulike said, "I am telling you that if I have my way now, I will join Boko Haram and the entire country will turn into crisis, since it is what the Federal Government wants. I am saying it today that, I congratulate the Boko Haram people and I wish they will continue in their efforts and if I have my way, I will join them." 

Again on March 19, 2013 in the same Daily Sun newspapers, Uwazulike declared, “I am ready to declare another civil war in this country if this killings and other senseless activities on Ndigbo continue like this because I know that it was this type of massacre that brought about the first civil war in Nigeria.” Also on June 17, 2014 in another Daily Sun interview Uwazulike threatened, “It is most unreasonable to kill innocent people with bombs. Therefore, if this attempt to exterminate our people with bombs in any part of Igboland succeeds, what we will do will be unimaginable; the level of our reaction will be catastrophic. In this regards, nobody will ascertain the level of our unreasonableness.” Suddenly now Uwazulike is denouncing Radio Biafra Nnamdi Kanu of IPOB for adopting violence in the struggle of Biafra emancipation. So what is Ralph Uwazulike saying regarding violence, especially when none ever ensued? Where was violence used throughout these protests except that unleashed by the agents of the Nigeria government? 

Icheoku says Uwazulike apologizing for a mosque that was not burnt is cheap; apologizing for houses that were not burnt, is petty; apologizing for Northerners killed in the Southeast when none was killed, despite the thousands of Biafrans Ndigbo being killed every time in the North is seeking undue relevance and such nonsensical imbecility must cease and stop henceforth. Icheoku asks Uwazulike what has he done in his past fifteen years of leading MASSOB to avenge those Biafrans slaughtered daily in the North, including the 29 Adazi Nnukwu people, who were practically from the same extended family, that Boko Haram slaughtered in Taraba State? Icheoku says Uwazulike's claim that he  allegedly recruited and later fired Nnamdi Kanu from MASSOB is irrelevant and at best, an envious lamentation because his seed has now outgrown and surpassed him. It is regrettable that no former boss likes to see or is usually at ease at the progress of his former understudy. 

Icheoku asks Uwazulike to grow up and be more circumspect in his utterances before losing complete relevance in Igbo land and Biafra in general. Uwazulike should know that there is time for everything under the sun according to Ecclesiastes 1:3 and now is time for another true leader to emerge and he has emerged in Nnamdi Kanu. Uwazulike should consign himself to nurturing his new project BIM (Biafra Independence Movement) and see how he can help coordinate every other group similarly geared, towards making Biafra a mission accomplish instead of this apparent petulant obvious belly-aching. Finally to Uwazulike's poser, “Why must heaven fall because Nnamdi Kanu was arrested? What happened to Benjamin Oneuka who has been in prison because of Biafra?”, Icheoku says there is a great difference between a leader who effervesced from popular following and those pretenders and wanna-be leaders who crowned themselves. 

Moreso, the Biafran Zionist Movement's Benjamin Onueka going to burn down Lions Building Enugu, the future seat of power of an independent State of Biafra, is simply out of touch and unreasonable. Lastly, the same Ben Oneuka was violently engaged in his attempted overthrow and take over of Enugu State Government House; but this act of violence was glossed over by Uwazulike when he was pontificating his averse to adopting violent means in the struggle. But serving as a devil's advocate, just for purpose of argument, assuming that Uwazulike is the leader and has been leading the Biafran struggle since 1989, having not achieved his objective thus far, is it not about time he left the scene for another to try? But no, he would rather claw and scratch and dragged out kicking, instead of honorably stepping aside for a new thinking to take over the effort. Icheoku says now you know why this ebbing self-appointed leader of MASSOB Raphael Uwazulike, is seeing doubly red and very green with envy, because a new sheriff is in town and his followership dwarfs whatever his MASSOB leadership ever could muster. Icheoku says hail to the new chief and authentic Biafran leader emerged, Nnamdi Kanu. Uwazulike please move over to make way or you are toast.