The Lead Counsel for the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Sir Ifeanyi Ejiofor, has called on the governors in the South-East region to declare May 30 as a public holiday.
This date is significant for remembering and reflecting on the deaths of over five million South Easterners who were killed during the Biafra-Nigeria war, which lasted from July 6, 1967, to January 15, 1970.
In a press statement issued on Thursday, Ejiofor emphasized the importance of dedicating this day to honor the fallen heroes and heroines of Biafra.
“It is a time of introspection, a moment to consider the position of Biafrans in modern-day Nigeria and their relevance in the broader national context. Unfortunately, the issues that ultimately led to the Biafran war are still present within the policies and decisions of the government,” he stated.
Ejiofor highlighted the massacre of over 6,000 men, primarily residents of Asaba, who were brutally killed at Obosowe Asaba in present-day Delta State between October 4 and 7, 1967.
He stressed that Nigeria has a moral obligation to acknowledge this tragedy and that the story of post-war reconstruction, reintegration, and reconciliation remains a ruse.
“These three Rs must go hand in hand for a full healing process, but the reverse has been the case,” he added.
He further urged all South-East governors to mark May 30 as a public holiday in honor of Biafran fallen heroes, drawing a parallel with the South-West states’ commemoration of June 12 as a public holiday to remember the annulled 1993 Presidential election, which was declared a national public holiday by the Federal Government in 2019.
“Heaven did not fall when the South West governors made this declaration in unison. Rather, the Federal Government was later compelled by the strong resolve of these leaders to consequently declare June 12 a national public holiday,” Ejiofor noted.
Ejiofor also called on the Federal Government to unconditionally release genuine Biafran agitators held in various detention facilities, suggesting that this gesture would help assuage the feelings of the marginalized Biafrans and restore a sense of reintegration in Nigeria.
“Only the truth can set us free from the bondage of war and propaganda,” he asserted.
He concluded by praying for the repose of the fallen heroes and heroines of Biafra and urging reflection on the cause for which they died.
“They did not die for the cause of relentless perpetration of heinous crimes, not for the cause of kidnapping, not for the cause of rampant rape of their descendants, not for the cause of killing our innocent brothers and sisters by those who have sold their souls to evil,” Ejiofor added.