CITATION ON MARTIN CHINAGOROM OPARA

Life, as often said, is a stage and every being existing in life have roles to play while on this stage. The adventure of life is in such a way that we are formed by our choices, thoughts and actions. Such that we think what we desire, act what we think and become what we act.

The measure of ones existence is not in the days or years of his life but in the living of his life. Thus, this citation on Ikemba Martin Chinagorom Opara is a brief look into the many exploits of his existence.

Brave and vibrant Martin Chinagorom Opara is the 4th son and  6th child of late Nnadinma Linus Mmerenini and Florence Nkechinyere Opara of Obohia Logara, Ngor Okpala LGA. of Imo State. Martin attended Community School Logara as well as Logara High School at the early stages of his academics before proceeding to Alvan Ikoku College of Education (affiliated to the UNN) for a degree in Political Science. While at Alvan, Martin was an all rounder, very notable and reliable goal-getter both in academics, religious and political activities. He was a strong member of the Nigerian Federation of Catholic Students, NFCS where he served as Abuja Convention Planing Committee Chairman. He was also the Assistant Secretary Political Science Students Associations, POLSSA before his historic election as the Students' Union Government, (SUG) President of the prestigious institution.
While serving as the SUG President, Comrade Martin Opara challenged and changed the status quo in students politics and  performed excellently so well even far beyond the expectations of the students and management of Alvan Ikoku Federal College of Education Owerri. During the reign of his presidency, he was again elected by his colleagues (SUG Presidents) in Imo State as Chairman, Joint Campus Committee, JCC of the National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS. At the end of his outstanding academic sojourn, he  finished strong at Alvan, making a second class, (upper division) from the affiliate institution - University of Nigeria Nsukka, UNN.

After his first degree, he proceeded to the Imo State University, IMSU Owerri for an M.Sc in Educational Management and Planning.
Judith McNaught an American writer once said “You can’t outwit fate by standing on the sidelines placing little side bets about the outcome of life. Either you wade in and risk everything you have to play the game or you don’t play at all. And if you don’t play you can’t win.”  Driven by his love for public service and desire to impact greatly in the society, after his M.Sc, Martin made an academic reverse for a degree in Law at the same Imo State University, Owerri.

Martin Opara has also made notable marks  in community service having served his dear Logara people in various capacities, as two-term Secretary General of Logara Community Development Union, LCDU, and currently  Vice President General of the same union. He left an indelible footprint in youth activism and unionism struggle having served as  President of Owerri Zonal Youth Platform.

He is the President of Chidera Youth Organization, a youth support group of Hon. Bede Eke (Member Federal House of Representatives) and was the Youth Mobilizer of Ngor Okpala PDP Campaign Council 2019. Presently he is the President General of the apex sociocultural organization in Owerri Zone, Olu Owerri.
Martin Opara has recieved several honours, awards and Chieftancy titles. In 2010 he received Students' Ambassador Award from all the tertiary institutions in Imo State; also the Catholic Youth Organization of Nigeria, CYON St Patrick Logara honored him with  Soldier of Christ award, to mention but a few.

He holds the Chieftaincy titles of Ikemba 1 of Logara and  Enyioha 1 of Eziama Oparanadim.

Chief Martin Opara is an accomplished young man, a public commentator and a responsible family man. He is blessed with a supportive pretty wife Dora and two children, Paschal Osinachi and Christabel Chimsom Opara.

He is the publisher of Eastern Vanguard Newspapers. He is a consultant with specialization in educational consultancy after working between 2011 and 2015 with the JENCEL Consults LTD.
He is currently an Executive Board Member of the Owerri Communications LTD, an ICT specialized consortium.

Chief Martin Opara is like a book whose next edition is more interesting than the current. As time and events happens, Ikemba continues to evolve to the best of his version.

Presidential Tribunal Dismisses INEC’s Motion Against Atiku

Abuja – The Presidential Election Petition Tribunal sitting at the Court of Appeal, on Wednesday, has dismissed a preliminary objection by the Independent National Electoral Commission, seeking the striking out of the petition filed by the Peoples Democratic Party and its candidate, Atiku Abubakar, challenging the declaration of Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress as winner of the February 23, presidential election.
INEC’s motion dated May 15, was filed by its counsel, Yunus Usman SAN.
Specifically, INEC contended that the non-joining of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo as a party in the petition rendered the case incompetent and therefore liable to be dismissed.
But in a lead judgment, Chairman of the 5-man PEPT, Justice Mohammed Garba held that the non-joinder of Osinbajo could not render the petition incompetent.
Justice Garba stated that the VP is only an interested party and not a necessary party because he was chosen by the 2nd respondent, President Buhari and the APC (3rd respondent) as a running mate.
In a unanimous ruling, the tribunal held that “the motion of the 1st respondent is not well-grounded in law, it lacks merit and is hereby refused".

FG Announces Mass Recruitment

The Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC), on Thursday, announced nationwide recruitment into various Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

An announcement on the commission’s website advised all qualified Nigerians who currently hold OND, HND, BA/BSc are advised to apply.

According to FCSC, forms are available in all Geo-political zones.

The statement reads in part:

“The Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC) wishes to announce vacancies in the following MDAs:

(i) Federal Ministry of Information;

(ii) Federal Ministry of Environment;

(iii) Federal Ministry of Justice;

(iv) Federal Ministry of Trade and Investments; and

(v) Bureau of Public Procurement.

On how to Apply: Qualified Applicants can access Application Forms on-line on FCSC 

Click here
Website http://www.fedcivilservice.gov.ng

Collect FCSC Forms from Chairmen of the States Civil Service Commissions in the Following Geo-political Zones:

(a) North-West (Kaduna);

(b) North-East (Yola);

(c) North-Central & Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mabushi (Abuja);

(d) South-East (Owerri);

(e) South-South (Port Harcourt);

(f) South-West (Ibadan).

FCSC Headquarters, 4 Abidjan Street, Wuse Zone 3, Abuja.

“For avoidance of doubt, the application form is free. Completed Application Forms must be submitted where collected on or not later than six (6) Weeks from the date of this Publication (Advertisement).

“All Application Forms should be submitted in a sealed envelope clearly stating the Ministry, the post applied for and addressed to the: Hon. Chairman, Federal Civil Service Commission,4 Abidjan Street, Wuse Zone 3, Abuja.

“NOTE: The FCSC is an executive body in Nigeria that has the authority to make appointments and transfers and to exercise disciplinary control over all Federal Civil Servants. No officer can be appointed into the Civil Service without authorization from the Federal Civil Service Commission if they have been convicted of a crime, or had previously been employed in the Government Service and had been dismissed or asked to resign" .

Full Speech: Nnamdi Kanu Addresseses EU Parliamentarians

Nigeria in Crisis

There is a crisis in Nigeria. The Nigerian State has never been at peace with itself and recent events amplify this pending emergency.

And, as has been the case since independence from Britain in 1960, Biafrans are the easy target of the lack of a credible Nigerian state. Nigeria governs without the consent of all within its borders. Nigeria claims to be ruled by law, but in effect there is a de facto lawlessness in Nigeria.

Nigeria’s epidemic of violence flowing from the North is well documented. In 2014 the Global Terrorism Index judged Fulani militants to be the fourth most deadly terror group in the world, behind Boko Haram, Isis and the Taliban.

Lawlessness is always one step ahead of the Government. In response, the Government, when it is convenient for it to do so, attempts to give a veneer of legality to the lawlessness. Recent proposed land reforms across Nigeria do just that.

The Fulani herders from the North are increasingly encroaching on the settled farmers of the South/South East. This includes Biafra. As Amnesty International has reported, there were more than 2,000 deaths in 2018 linked to this land crisis. Instead of seeking to address the violence, the Government has sought to condone it and legitimise the land grab.

There is an underlying problem in the North which has to do with climate change and encroaching desertification due to overgrazing and deforestation. This has drawn Fulani herdsmen further south and led to violence against Biafran farmers seeking to defend their land and crops. The fertile farming lands of Biafra are very attractive to the Fulani.

To address this land crisis, the Government, the President of which is Fulani, sought to establish the RUGA scheme (an acronym for Rural Grazing Area – or is it, as some suggest, a Fulani word?) whereby Fulani herders could officially move into areas and absorb land as part of a Government co-ordinated programme across Nigeria.

Is this an attempt to develop settled land practices for the Fulani, or, as is the experience of Biafrans, is the drive behind RUGA an attempt to Fulanise (or Islamise) Biafraland and force out Biafrans? Biafrans who stand up to the Fulani are killed. Because of the uproar across Nigeria, the RUGA settlement programme has been suspended, but the National Livestock Transformation Plan (NLTP) remains in place. This programme advocates ranching. How different is it from RUGA? For Biafrans the effect is the same. They are forced from their land and will be killed if they do not make way for the Fulani.

Nigeria: The Problem, Not the Solution

Nigeria has always been a fiction. The state we now know as Nigeria was created for British administrative and colonial convenience in 1914. An audacious move by the British, but no surprises in Empire. Britain’s Nigeria drew together disparate people into one entity.

To over simplify, to the North are the Muslims. Two ethnic groups dominate the North, the Hausa and Fulani. The Fulani are now in the ascendency. One hundred years ago these were semi-nomadic, pastoral people. Many Fulani continue to live as herders. The South is mainly Christian and in the South East there is also a vibrant Jewish tradition. The rural communities in the South/South East tend to be settled farmers. The principal ethnic group in the South is the Yoruba.

The South East is the region that makes up Biafraland or Biafra. There is a coherence to Biafra. Its western border is the River Niger and it incorporates most of the Niger delta. The eastern border is Cameroon. To the west, across the Niger, are the Yoruba. In the north are the Muslim people. Despite colonisation and being forcibly absorbed into Nigeria, Biafrans are defined by common values and a shared sense of identity. Biafrans don’t all speak the same language. Many Biafrans are Igbo speakers. Other Biafrans speak Urhobo-Isoko, Ijaw-Epie-Ogbia, Ogoni, Efik, Annang, Eket-, Oron-Ibibio, Ogoja, Ejagham, Igala, Idoma, Ibani and Igbanke among others.

To put Biafra in its Nigerian geo-political context, Biafraland is made up of the following Provinces: Rivers Province, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Ebonyi, Imo, Anambra, Abia, Enugu, Bayelsa and Delta. Fulani herdsman have shown great interest in those provinces that form the central belt of Biafra, such as Enugu.

The Biafran War (1967-1970)

With independence, the persecution of Biafrans started. One colonial master was replaced by another, although, and without endorsing British rule, Biafrans fared better under the British than they have under Nigerian dominance.

First, the Biafrans who had been transplanted to the North by the British were massacred. Those that survived fled back to Biafra. The oppression and intimidation did not cease. In 1967, Biafra was left with no choice but to proclaim independence. Nigeria declared war.

Biafra didn’t stand a chance. The conflict turned the Cold War on its head. The Soviet Union and Britain actively supported Nigeria. “Biafra, Britain’s Shame” was how many described the UK position. French compassion was gratefully received but it could do little to protect the fledgling state. America’s neutrality in effect backed Nigeria. China was silent. The UN was hopeless. Biafra was doomed. Starved into submission, after three years the Biafrans surrendered. At least 2 million Biafrans perished.

The atrocities, war crimes and crimes against humanity committed against Biafra during the Biafran War remain unaccounted for. Was it an attempt at genocide? Biafrans were considered an existential threat to the state. The killings were indiscriminate. All Biafrans. 

After the war, Biafrans slowly rebuilt their world. But, as far as Nigeria was concerned, they were not and never had been Biafrans. They were Nigerians from the South East or Igbo-speaking Nigerians. The Biafran War was airbrushed out of the Nigerian consciousness. Biafrans could only whisper about their loss. Joining the global Biafran diaspora was one option for those who could get out. Others remained in Biafraland, their Biafran identity amongst themselves, undiminished.

Nigeria continues to prioritise crushing assertions of Biafran identity. Even peacefully commemorating the War risks arrest, detention, prohibited ill-treatment or being shot.

In recent years the Nigerian state authorities have conducted three orchestrated campaigns against Biafrans. The three Operation Python Dance campaigns have been battles against Biafrans. The first campaign was in 2016, the second in 2017 and the third is ongoing. They are designed to undermine calls for Biafran self-determination. Operation Python Dance campaigns intimidate. Serious and systemic human rights violations are carried out by state forces with impunity.

A Voice for Biafrans: The Indigenous People of Biafra

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) is the main organisation which represents all peoples who consider themselves to be Biafran. IPOB has one principal purpose, IPOB calls for the recognition of the Biafran people’s right to self-determination. IPOB pursues the right to self-determination for Biafrans without the use of force. IPOB upholds human rights. IPOB rejects violence.

The Nigerian authorities target organisations calling for Biafran self-determination, most notably IPOB. Being found with IPOB symbols can result in an individual being disappeared. Arrest is inevitable. And now that IPOB has been proscribed, prison sentences are harsh.

The IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu, has been targeted, harassed and persecuted by the authorities. He has been unlawfully detained, subjected to prohibited ill-treatment and unfair trials. It is a miracle that he’s alive. Following an attack on his home, he was forced into involuntary exile. Many of those defending him were killed or disappeared. There is still a warrant out for his arrest.

Biafrans, supported by IPOB, respond cannily to these targeted attacks organising stay-at-home days each 30th May, the day Biafra declared independence in 1967. No one in Biafraland goes to work that day and the economy, along with everything else, grinds to a halt. As Nigeria denies the human rights of Biafrans, the Biafrans become more skilled in honing those rights. IPOB remains committed to non- violent campaigning.

A Right to Self-Determination for Biafra

International law is clear in relation to self-determination. Where there is a credible claim for self- determination the only way to resolve the issue is by holding a referendum which complies with international standards. IPOB is calling for a referendum. It is for that reason the Nigerian authorities have sought to brand IPOB as a terrorist organisation. The EU, the UK and the US have all rejected the labelling of IPOB as a terrorist group. They know that IPOB seeks only to uphold human rights.

It is not only the direct attacks on Biafrans by the Nigerian state that perpetuate the intimidation and torment of Biafrans. Nigeria’s policies of accommodating Northerners have a direct impact on Biafrans. No different to 1967, Northerners act with impunity in Biafraland.

The current land crisis in Biafra caused by Fulani herders is just one more chapter of brutality facing the Biafran people carried out with the tacit support of the Nigerian state. Despite the apparent suspension of RUGA, Northerners continue to threaten Southerners, including Biafrans. They will have no peace if Fulanis are not allowed to establish the RUGA scheme, the Fulani say.

This land crisis throws into sharp relief Nigeria’s crisis. The Government of Nigeria is, to all intents and purposes, giving land to Fulani herders from the North which belongs to Biafran farmers. These are the same Biafrans who legitimately claim their right to self-determination.

Biafran farmers live in fear. The farmers of Ebonyi and Enugu are particularly affected. This torment must end. Biafra is entitled to resolve its own future and security.

Why Self-Determination Matters

IPOB has always called for creative solutions to recognise Biafrans’ right to self-determination. However, what is clear is that the existing model of the Nigerian constitution is fatally flawed. It continues to cause harm to all within the jurisdiction and it is unsustainable.

Nigeria may once have worked for the British as a colonial administration. It has never worked as an independent state. To this extent it is a failed state. Nigeria is an artificial vehicle which buttresses those with power, or aspirations for power. As there is no legitimacy to the state of Nigeria, there is no rule of law. Law is used as a tool of coercion by the authorities to crush opposition. Others, such as the Fulani herders, simply ignore the law and act with impunity.

Biafra: Africa’s Future

Biafran pleas for self-determination are ignored by the international community. Why are Biafran voices not heard? Resolving Biafra’s legitimate claim for self-determination will resolve Nigeria’s crisis. Biafra is a forgotten global crisis. IPOB believes that by resolving Biafra’s right to self-determination, Africa’s peaceful future will be revealed. To that extent, Biafra is Africa’s future. The effects of Nigeria’s permanent state of conflict resonate across the continent.



Please contact:
deputy@IPOB.org
research@IPOB.org
www.IPOB.org

Video: Nnamdi Kanu Visits EU Parliament

The leader of Indigenous People Of Biafra IPOB Mazi Nnamdi Kanu on his visit today European Parliament to have a meeting with some parliamentarians on Biafra .

Kanu who after the meeting assured his followers that his next move will be UN and NY, USA respectively .

He went on to mock Nigerian president by challenging him to pay a visit to the EU as he just did. 

Trump Fires John Bolton As National Security Adviser

By Shannon Pettypiece, Carol E. Lee, Peter Alexander and Adam Edelman

WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he had fired national security adviser John Bolton after a string of disagreements, removing one of the most hawkish voices in Trump's inner circle on a number of issues, including Taliban negotiations and China trade talks.

Trump announced on Twitter that he had asked for Bolton's resignation on Monday night, saying he had "disagreed strongly with many of his suggestions".

“I informed John Bolton last night that his services are no longer needed at the White House. I disagreed strongly with many of his suggestions, as did others in the Administration, and therefore I asked John for his resignation, which was given to me this morning,” Trump said on Twitter.

White House spokesman Hogan Gidley said that Trump had asked for Bolton's resignation on Monday night, and that it was delivered on Tuesday. White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said Trump and Bolton had not spoken on Tuesday.

Bolton himself said in a tweet that he had offered to resign Monday night, and that the president had said in response that they would "talk about it tomorrow".

“I offered to resign last night," Bolton told NBC News via text. "He never asked for it, directly or indirectly. I slept on it, and resigned this morning.” He denied reports that he and Trump had gotten into a heated argument Monday night over the president’s plan to host Taliban leaders at Camp David.

Some National Security Council officials were caught off guard by Bolton’s firing, learning about it only when it flashed on TV screens.

Reports over the weekend that Bolton and Vice President Mike Pence disagreed with Trump's Camp David plan were the last straw for Bolton, according to two people familiar with the matter. On Monday, Pence tweeted that the stories were fake but Bolton did not — and that, according to the officials, upset Trump.

One person familiar with the breakdown between the two men said Trump didn’t want Bolton attending the U.N. General Assembly in New York with him later this month.

Asked if the disagreement over the Taliban talks led to Bolton’s dismissal, Grisham said “that there was no final straw".

"There were several issues," he said. "They had policy disagreements".

But speaking on the condition of anonymity, one official said Afghanistan “broke open the bottom of the bag” in a relationship that had been eroding. Another official confirmed that sharp disagreement over the Afghanistan deal was the final issue that ruptured the relationship.

Bolton, known as a fierce infighter, had few loyal allies internally. He had clashed with many senior members of the administration at times, including Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

But he could also build alliances when needed. He worked closely with Pence on multiple issues, including efforts to replace Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, and aligned with Pompeo on encouraging a hard-line stance on China, said a former administration official.

He was one of the loudest hawks inside the West Wing, perpetually skeptical of the country's adversaries and unafraid of the prospect of military conflict. Few others in the upper ranks of the administration were as deeply versed in the nuances of foreign policy, a void that Pompeo will now have an outsize role in filling — particularly when it comes to Iran, China and Venezuela, said the former official.

Most recently, the two had sparred over Trump's desire to have leaders of the Taliban visit Camp David in the days before the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks to finalize peace talks. The idea was strongly opposed by Bolton, even as officials at the State Department argued it could move the parties closer to an agreement, officials said.

Bolton had been deeply skeptical of negotiations with the Taliban. U.S. negotiators have been working under the president’s demand that a drawdown occur before November 2020, when he’s up for re-election.

Asked if he had been startled by Bolton's quick exit, Pompeo told reporters he had not. "I'm never surprised. And I don’t mean that on just this issue," he said.

Bolton’s departure could pave the way for a more flexible approach by the Trump administration on North Korea, Iran, Venezuela and Afghanistan, former U.S. officials and two current U.S. officials said.

Bolton had pushed Trump to take a harder line on other regimes he has deemed untrustworthy. Trump, on the other hand, campaigned on the promise to get the U.S. out of conflicts.

While Bolton had previously pushed for striking Iran in an effort at regime change, Trump has indicated he would like to sit down with Iranian officials, and that regime change is off the table; Pompeo confirmed Tuesday that the president is likely to speak with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani when the U.N. General Assembly meets in New York. "The president has made it very clear, he’s prepared to meet with no preconditions," said Pompeo.

Some officials in the administration had also grown frustrated with Bolton’s stance on Venezuela, in which he pushed for the imposition of harsh sanctions on the Maduro regime and opposed renewing a waiver to allow the energy company Chevron to keep operating in the country.

When asked earlier about his differences with Bolton, Trump indicated he didn't have a problem with his national security adviser giving an opinion that diverged from his own.

"I have some hawks," the president said in a "Meet the Press" interview this summer. "Yeah, John Bolton is absolutely a hawk. If it was up to him he'd take on the whole world at one time, OK? But that doesn't matter, because I want both sides".

Bolton has had his fair share of detractors in Congress. Many of those critics praised his departure — with even some who held a favorable view of him said the change could be a positive one.

“I like John Bolton, I think he sees the world for what it is. I've always had a similar view of threats that we face,” said Graham, R-S.C. “But the personal relationship between the president and national security adviser is important. I think the view that there’s some public discussions about Bolton being on the other side of meeting with the Taliban probably was a bridge too far".

But Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, said Bolton’s departure was a “huge loss” for the country.

"His view was not always the same as everybody else in the room, that’s why you wanted him there,” Romney told reporters. “The fact that he was a contrarian from time to time is an asset, not a liability".

This is the third national security adviser that Trump will have to replace. His first, Michael Flynn, was in court for a status hearing on Tuesday before his sentencing for lying to U.S. officials. Flynn's successor, Army Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, said he was retiring after repeated disagreements with Trump.

It is unclear what will now happen with the team of foreign policy experts Bolton had built over more than a year — a state of affairs adding yet more instability to the national security ranks under Trump's presidency.

Trump named Bolton, the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and undersecretary of state for international security, to the post in a tweet in March 2018. At the time of his appointment, Bolton said in a Fox News interview that he was taken off guard.

Trump said Tuesday that he would name a new national security adviser next week. Gidley said Tuesday afternoon that deputy national security adviser Charlie Kupperman would replace Bolton as the acting national security adviser.

Among those being considered as Bolton's permanent replacement, Sen. Lindsey Graham said on Fox News Thursday, are Ricky Waddell, a former deputy national security adviser who is currently assistant to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Brian Hook, a seasoned diplomat who is now the State Department’s point person on Iran; and Keith Kellogg, the national security adviser to the vice president.

"Those are three names the president mentioned to me," Graham said. "There are others on the list, but what are we looking for? Somebody that can work with Pompeo, work with the Department of Defense to get the inner agency back — stood back up".

Hours before Trump announced his departure, Bolton sent a final public warning on Iran.

"Now that we're two weeks from #UNGA, you can be sure Iran is working overtime on deception," Bolton wrote in a tweet. "Let's review the greatest hits, starting with the most recent. Iran denied the Adrian Darya-1 was headed to Syria, then confirmed today its oil was offloaded there.

NBC.

Iranian Weapon warehouse Explodes Mysteriously In Western Iraq – Casualties reported.

A huge explosion was heard in an Iranian weapon warehouse in Anbar province, in western Iraq.

According to Arab reports, the site, which belongs to an Iranian-backed terror group, was attacked by a UAV.

Anbar is located in the so-called Iranian corridor that leads to Syria via al-Bukamal, which was bombed yesterday.

Israeli fighter jets allegedly targeted overnight Sunday a missile depot belonging to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards terror group near al-Bukamal, on Syria’s border with Iraq.

According to Arab reports, the strikes targeted a base belonging to the Iranian-backed Popular Mobilization Force and Hezbollah.

The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says at least 21 pro-Iranian terrorists were killed in the airstrikes.

A Syrian official claimed Israel struck base in al-Bukamal, using Jordanian airspace and US forces in Tanf.

New satellite images show the destruction in the Iranian base in al-Bukamal.

The IDF raised its state of alert along Israel’s northern border, in anticipation of an expected retaliatory attack by Iranian proxies.

Iranian-linked terrorists launched several rockets from Syria toward Israel overnight, but they fell short and failed to reach their targets, the IDF reported Monday morning.