A New Dawn, Biafra, Our Right to Self-Determination, Freedom and the Future

About the Book

Biafra the land of the rising sun, the epitome of freedom and liberty for the people of -Eastern Nigeria. Declared as an independent entity in 1967 by Col. Emeka Ojukwu as a fall out to the pogrom by the North against his people. The declaration of independence by Ojukwu for Biafra heralded the civil-war that was fought against the Biafrans by the Nigerian State to denigrate the peoples stature and obliterate their self-determination consciousness. After the civil-war ended with the invasion and subsequent occupation of Biafran territory by the Nigerian troops, the Igbo were resilient enough to accept back Nigeria as their country but alas, this uncommon resolve by the Igbo to let bye gone be bye gone did not however, move their vicious enemies who instead of the reconciliation that they themselves promised resorted to conspiracy, discrimination and marginalization of the Igbo and of course their Biafran brothers as a way of reminding them of their defeat in the civil-war. This no doubt gave birth to the renewed struggle to actualize the state of Biafra in 1999 with the active support of majority of the people who are disgusted about the entire Nigerian system.

About the Author

I am Ikechukwu Odurukwe, a strong believer in Biafra being the right of thEastern Nigeria as the title of this book depicts. Born in July 1975 in Amucha a town in the old orlu division in the present day Imo State. I developed this feeling which later became a passion for Biafra, when at age seven, I was told of how  Ojukwu declared Biafra as an independent entity , to its invasion and suppression  by the Nigerian troops. Having heard that, I felt  that it was wrong for the Nigerian State to want to destroy the people for no just cause.  From that day I have resented with contemptuous disgust everything about the Nigerian State. I have from that day been driven by this feeling of disgust for Nigeria and enthusiastically passionate about seeing Biafra become a sovereign entity. As a growing child I have been telling myself that some day Biafra will become a sovereign state . This enthusiasm and passion for Biafra in me keeps growing stronger  and so is my resentment for Nigeria. I was elated and felt vindicated when in 1999 Ralph Uwazuruike came out with  MASSOB to champion independence for Biafra. His arrest and detention for treason in 2005 informed my decision to write this book as a way of saying the minds of the voiceless millions of Easterners who are angry, disgusted and helpless about the whole issue, but have no medium to voice out the encroachment on their right to self determination by the Nigerian State. Though I have limitations regarding my educational back-ground as I did not exceed the primary school level, I did not allow that to stand as a barrier pursuant of my passion and conviction as an individual.