Igbo youths should join the Nigerian Army and be trained: IPOB founder and vision bearer gives counter order against Nnamdi Kanu’s group’s warning to Igbo youth to stay away from Nigerian Army Recruitment
BARR. DR. EMEKA CHIGOZIE EMEKESIRI, the Founder and Vision Bearer of IPOB under the Supreme Council of Elders of Indigenous People of Biafra running the Customary Government, the Chairman of MOBIN, has reacted to the warning and advice given to the youths of the South-East Region by Nnamdi Kanu’s Group to stay away from the Nigerian Army Recruitment currently going on. In a statement made available to Mobin Media, Dr Emekesiri stated as follows:
I have seen the publication in the Vanguard Newspaper of 9th May 2024 captioned, “Don’t join the Nigerian Army”, IPOB warns South-East youths. The publication was said to have been made by Emma Powerful on behalf of Nnamdi Kanu’s faction of IPOB. I saw their reasons for warning the Igbo youths not to join the Nigerian Army which included to avoid being sacrificed in the war with the terrorists in the North, poor salary in the Nigerian Army, low morale, tribalism, nepotism, etc. They concluded by saying that “it was imperative to inform the Nigerian youths especially the Biafran youths to avoid being recruited by the Nigerian Army to be sent to be sacrificed for terrorism business of the cabals”.
It is my opinion that the statement from Mr. Emma Powerful proceeded from shortsightedness and lack of vision. It is foolish advice and warning that emanated from superlative stupidity. The Military is a Profession just like any other Profession. It costs a lot of money and resources to train a Professional whether as a Military Officer, Police Officer, Engineer, Doctor, Lawyer, etc.
The training itself is very important, not only for the Professional being trained but also for the society to which he belongs. If the Igbo youths listen to the foolish warning and stupid advice and stay away from joining the Nigerian Army, the Igbo Nation shall suffer in the future because there will be no military officer from the Igbo extraction in the future.
Even if the Igbo Nation should gain independence from Nigeria in the future, it is the already trained military personnel that will become the military foundation of their new country. The trained military personnel of the Igbo extraction are our assets.
Mr. Emma Powerful and his group do not know that it is better for the Igbo Nation to have Igbo youths trained in the Military Profession by the Federal Government of Nigeria. Obviously, they are still inflicted with the foolish thought that they are not Nigerians and will have nothing to do with Nigeria. Their slogan of “Biafra or Death” does not permit them to have a balanced reasoning. They have zeal without knowledge and wisdom.
I have argued it in the Federal High Court in the case between Biafra and Nigeria that we are Nigerians by citizenship but Biafrans by indigenous identity until we gain independence from Nigeria just like the Scottish people are British citizens but Scots by indigenous identity until they gain independence from Britain. Our indigenous identity must be respected. Scotland is agitating for independence from the Great Britain, but the Scottish soldiers are in the British Army. The Scots are in the British Police. The Scots are in every sector of the British Government, and yet seeking for independence. The Moses in the Bible who led Israel out from Egypt was an Egyptian Army General.
Mr Emma Powerful and his group are making the same mistakes again and again. Nnamdi Kanu learnt from Ralph Uwazurike who stopped the Igbo people from participating in the 2006 Nigerian Census proclaiming that we were not Nigerians but Biafrans. This made the South-East to have the lowest population statistics.
I did not fully understand the damage done to the South-East by Uwazurike and his MASSOB group until a Judge in the High Court in London shut down my argument in a case in which I represented my client when he said that the South-East of Nigeria which I referred to in my argument was the lowest in population in Nigeria according to the population statistics published all over the world! The 2006 population census is what the Nigerian Government uses for planning and allocation of resources.
Think of what may happen in the next 30 or 40 years. If the Igbo youths listen to Nnamdi Kanu’s faction of IPOB and stay away from joining the Nigerian Army, they will suffer terribly in the future. Who knows tomorrow? The youths shall also grow old. Some of us who are in our 50s, 60s and 70s may have gone by the time the sufferings of Igbo people shall start in Nigeria beyond what we had experienced before. Mr Emma Powerful and Mr Nnamdi Kanu may not be there at that time to sustain them with their powerful propaganda. It is unfortunate that a bunch of foolish and illiterate or half-educated people have destroyed the leadership of Igboland by false propaganda.
In my capacity as the Founder and Vision Bearer of the original IPOB established with the blessings of the Elders of Biafraland who constituted the Supreme Council of Elders of Indigenous People of Biafra running the Customary Government, I cancel and nullify the foolish advice and warning given by Nnamdi Kanu’s faction of IPOB to Igbo youths and now advise all the Igbo youths both men and women who have a calling for the Military Profession to go for recruitment into the Nigerian Army without further delay.
Barr Emeka Emekesiri is not happy with the turn of event of the Biafran struggle. The organization he founded was hijacked and destroyed, he prays that Igbo nation realizes the importance of his vision while there’s still time. We are still part of Nigeria and need to be part of Nigeria’s activities, Biafra can not come instantly, it will happen stage by stage, we need to apply diplomacy; he stated