Biafra should be a national cause, not a sectional one, Charly Boy says

Eccentric entertainer and former Performing Musicians Employers Association of Nigeria (PMAN), Charles Oputa better known as Charly Boy, penned a lengthy open letter to his fellow Biafran brothers telling them that he understands that they are not happy with him simply because he has not used his brand to advocate for the clamour of a Biafran state.

Charly Boy in the letter also stated that he disagrees with the way and manner Nnamdi Kanu is towing in the clamour for Biafra noting that there are better choices of rhetoric’s and methodology to achieve such an objective.

He said that though, he is a son of Biafran soil with a full-blown Igbotic blood, he has been persistently labelled a wannabe Yoruba, Hausa, Tiv and an Ijaw man simply because he believes in the unity of Nigeria.

Read the full text of his open letter below;

Fellow Biafrans,

“I know some of my Igbo brothers and sisters are not happy with me simply because I have not used My Brand as Charly Boy to advocate for the clamour of The Biafran state.

“However, like I always say, there is more than one way to achieve a purpose. Though I may disagree with my Igbo brothers and sisters on the choice of rhetoric’s and methodology, our objectives are to a large extent identical because we all want to bring an end to the marginalisation of the common peoples, by the evil cabals who are holding Nigeria to a ransom and getting away with their obnoxious impunity and criminality.

“Those who truly know and have followed me know that I am not a Group soul and I have always dared to follow the path least travelled in the continuous struggle to add value to my environment.

“It is indeed laughable that despite being a native chicken, Nwa afo, son of Biafran soil with a full-blown Igbotic blood, I have been persistently labelled a wannabe Yoruba, Hausa, Tiv and an Ijaw man simply because I have consistently maintained that I believe in the unity of Nigeria.

“To start with, I go like tell una sey you may not be totally wrong if you call me the man from all tribes in Nigeria. This is because I believe in the oneness of all Nigerian peoples. I believe that we have gotten to a point in our national history where a Yoruba man cannot live in isolation of an Igbo man. Likewise, an Ijaw man cannot live in isolation of a Hausa/Fulani man. All tribes in Nigeria today have become a mat of interwoven fibres that cannot be segregated.

“There have so far been inter-tribal marriages, intertribal business ownership, and intertribal partnership; and countless other inter-tribal collaborations and relationships in Nigeria. For this reason, my question to those agitating for secession would be that if each tribe decide to secede from Nigeria today, what then will happen? Who will lead the new nations? Will the people be happy? Will injustice be defeated in the new societies? Will criminality end in leadership positions? Will there be happiness in the new nations? Will the people finally have a country to call their own? These are important questions we must ask ourselves and provide answers to before we even start to beat the drums of secession.

“Having said that, I must state that whereas I am a Biafran at heart, what should engage our minds is not a sectional Biafra but a national Biafra. The fight for nationalists who will drive the discourse and the engagement necessary in answering the Nigeria national questions must not be bogged down by petty sentiments, tribal colorations and religious propaganda. The failure of the Igbo nation and all Nigerian tribes and peoples is the fault of influence peddlers and directionless decision makers.

Read also: Senate frowns at police brutality against Charly Boy, others protesting Buhari’s absence

“The crux of the Biafran agitation is that my people are tired of a system that has perpetually failed them. My Igbo kinsmen are tired of a system that enriches the rich and impoverishes the poor. My people are tired of a system that glorifies impunity and criminality.
My people are tired of decades of oppression and marginalization. However, the deeply rooted disgruntlement in Biafra land is not peculiar to my Igbo brothers and sisters only; all the common peoples in the 500 tribes in Nigeria are victims of a failed system and persistent oppression. And this is essentially where I disagree with my brother Nnamdi Kanu that though Biafra is right, it should be a national cause and not a sectional one.

“Let me be clear: The Charly Boy brand is not just a global brand but also a national brand that should not be reduced to a sectional brand.

“The problem in this nation is not the lack of a space where we all can coexist but the lack of men of integrity and progressive nationalists. We lack the right kind of leadership that will fight for the interest of the common people. And if at all there would be an agitation, it should be geared towards sanitizing the currently bastardized Nigerian system. Our agitation for Biafra should be about having the right leaders in positions of power and not power drunken people with insatiable appetite to plunder and loot.

“Therefore, my people, I insist that the suffering of the People from the South East is also the suffering of the people from the other geopolitical zones in Nigeria. And the oppression of the Igbo people is also the oppression of all Nigerian peoples. An injury to one is an injury to all. A Biafra state is not going to change the players of the game; it will only exacerbate the sufferings of the victims of the game.

“In conclusion, my people, let us dutifully work ourselves back into reckoning by fighting for Fairness, Justice, and Equality for all Nigerians; not Igbos only; Yorubas only or Hausas only but all Nigerians.

Last week, Charly Boy led a #ResumeOrResign protest in Abuja coordinated under the umbrella of a coalition of civil society groups, demanding the return of President Muhammadu Buhari which lasted for seven days.

The second day of the protests turned rowdy when policemen fired tear gas canisters at protesters, injuring one person in the process in an incident condemned by the Senate.

Reports say Charly Boy and other protesters were having their sit-out at the Millennium Park opposite the Unity Fountain, Maitama, when policemen disrupted their gathering by firing tear gas canister to displace them.

Last Friday which marked the fifth day of the rally saw the #ResumeOrResign disrupted by a dozen members of a group sympathetic to President Muhammadu Buhari chanting ‘Sai Baba Sai Baba’, in a scene which almost snowballed into a clash but for the swift intervention of security operatives.

RipplesNigeria ….without borders, without fears

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now