posted                      

quote:

---

We have suspected this from the beginning. Unless there are strong reasons to exclude both data, they must be included because the knowledge of number of religious and ethnic groups would foster unity and peace...

I suggest that if the government refused, the ethnic leaders should also boycott the exercise to show that government should be at the service of the people.

- Rev Father Gabriel Osuh, Director of Social Communication, The Lagos Archdiocese of the Catholic Church

---

quote:

---

We Christians will not take it easy if religion and ethnicity are excluded from the headcount. Religion especially, is part of human existence.

- Dr. Sunday Mbang, the Prelate of Methodist Church and former national president of CAN

---

quote:

---

... it was wrong for the government to want to exclude such vital pieces of information from the planned exercise

- Apostle Hayford Alile, the Spiritual Leader of Saint Joseph's Chosen Church of God

---

quote:

---

...members of the association (CAN) would boycott the census exercise if the National Council of State exclude religion and ethnicity as data for the headcount.

- Archbishop Peter Jasper Akinola, current President of CAN and Head of Anglican Communion in BiafraNigeria

---

quote:

---

From the Christian Association of Nigeria's point of view, we've made that presentation to President Olusegun Obasanjo, insisting that it (Religion and Ethnicity) must be there...while the Christians insist, they are more, the moslem say they are more, stressing it is only through this census thing that the truth would be revealed.

Let also know through this census how many Ibos (sic), Hausas, Yorubas, Urhobos, Itsekiris, Efiks there are in this country.

-Bishop Mike Okonkwo, the immediate past president of Pentecostal Fellowship of BiafraNigeria, PFN and vice-president of CAN

---

posted                         

quote:

---

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

SUBJECT: Biafra’s Non-participation in Nigeria’s 2005 Census Exercise

This is to inform all, that Biafrans WILL NOT participate in the planned Census in Nigeria, not this year, not any other year either. The basis of the census exercise is dishonest, as admitted to publicly even by its leaders and organizers; the conduct of the census will be fraudulent, and the results will be rigged. Every aspect of the census has been planned to cheat the Igbo and other Biafrans.

By refusing to participate in the census exercise, we Biafrans declare that we will never again be part of the broad daylight armed robbery which Nigeria has been committing against Igbo and other Biafrans. We declare our intent to refuse to be used again by Nigeria and her instruments and agencies to legitimize policies and acts precisely calculated to hurt the Igbo and other Biafrans, by Nigeria.

Finally, being Biafrans, we will never allow ourselves to be counted as Nigerians. In the light of these considerations, we ask the people of the nation of Biafra, to AVOID being counted, by any and all means, should Nigeria actually carry out the census. – Biafraland

---

posted                         

quote:

---

To: Mr. Leonidas Tezapsidis, Head of EU Delegation in Nigeria:

Sir:

We are most appalled at the insensitivity of your response in the matter of the threatened sectional boycott of the planned Nigerian Census of 2005, the reason for the boycott being the policy-driven exclusion of Ethnicity and Religious Affiliation from the Census data.

In an article appearing in the Nigerian Newspaper, Daily Independent, of February 17, 2005, titled: "EU envoy cautions against boycott of census" you are quoted:

"He said that the threat which emanated from the non inclusion of ethnicity and religion in the census questionnaire was not worth such action"

We find this conclusion inconsistent, hypocritical and unenlightened. Human Population Census is not livestock head-count; nevertheless, even cattle head-count includes information to place each cow in specific categories, classification which invariably comes in handy for planning and management at some point. Religion and Ethnicity have always played a central role in any meaningful transaction and or interaction in the lives of all peoples and nations living in Nigeria, in all facets and at all levels. To omit such data from the census is indefensible.

May we draw your attention to why the non-inclusion in the first place? One of the Muslim Northern Nigerian governors threatened to get the entire Northern Nigeria to boycott the census if these parameters were not removed. To pacify and placate him, Religious Affiliation and Ethnicity were then removed from the census data. Perhaps, you should have first advanced your argument at this point; you ought to be directing your reasoning at that governor.

Here is another quote from the same article, attributed to you:
"According to him, different countries agree on different questions to be included in a census questionnaire, adding that there were no universally accepted questions for any census."

First, there was no agreement among the peoples living in Nigeria to exclude Religion and Ethnicity: that was only accomplished as above, in acquiescence to the Northern Nigerian desires, as expressed by one of their governors.

Second, can you name a European country where religion and ethnicity are primal forces where such data were excluded from its census?

The main point of this letter is that we want to express that we already see you as representing the position and attitude of the EU. We all know that the census figures will be rigged, anyway--that's a given; that's the pattern for Nigeria. However, the tone of your responses as quoted above indicates that you will recommend to the EU to accept and adopt whatever doctored figures come out of this census. That is the tragedy. We have seen the results of such tragedy, for example, when the EU acquiesced to General Obasanjo's usurping of power in Nigeria following a massively rigged election in 2003; by not challenging him, and by supporting him afterwards, even though aware of the serious fraud at the election, the EU is now witness to the ongoing roil in Nigeria, a never-ending crisis that will surely shred Nigeria into its constituent nations--a much welcome development, by the way, for the suffering masses of peoples whose fundamental existential misfortune is to be geographically associated with Nigeria.

We want to assure you that if Religion and Ethnicity are excluded from the Nigerian Census of 2005, the census shall be boycotted. We also want to assure you that as long as EU fails to play a moral (read: "principled fair") role, and is only interested in expediency, we view the EU as part of the problem in the Nigeria mess.

It is likely that your main interest lies in just conducting a census, regardless of how fundamentally incomplete the data is, and regardless of how rigged the results are. If so, this is a great disservice to those whose lives and livelihood depend on the exercise; it is also a waste of money and resources for the EU.

We can only hope that the correct thing is done; failing that, neither intimidation, the threat of imprisonment, nor reasoning such as the one advanced by you, as above, can stop the boycott of this census.

Oguchi Nkwocha, MD.
A Biafran Citizen
Original mailing: February 17, 2005
(Please cross-post widely)

---

posted                         

quote:

---

VOBI 08 06 05 NIGERIAN CENSUS AND OTHER MATTERS.

There is no question that conducting a census (a head count) of people is very important for a country. Every country needs an honest census to plan for virtually everything including provision of facilities in schools, colleges, universities, hospitals, clinics and other health care needs, transportation especially mass transit, development of agriculture, and industry, creation of jobs, housing, urban development, rural development, and indeed every aspect of governance. Every aspect of planning depends on knowing how many people you have in your territory, and your population growth rate. This enables you project how many people you expect to have in a specified time period in particular areas. With this information you can make meaningful predictions and plan your development accordingly.

Nigeria had census in 1911, 1921, 1931, 1952/53, 1962, 1963, 1973, and 1991. In 1911 there were 8.1 million people in Northern Nigeria, 4.5 million in Eastern Nigeria, and 3.4 million in Western Nigeria including Lagos. In 1921 there were 10.6 million in Northern Nigeria, 5.1 million in Eastern Nigeria and 3.0 million in Western Nigeria and Lagos. In 1931 there were 11.4 million in Northern Nigeria, 4.5 million in Eastern Nigeria, and 4.0 million in Western Nigeria and Lagos. Note that Mid Western Nigeria was still part of Western Nigeria. Notice that according to this British census the West recorded a population decline in 1921 and the East did the same thing in 1931. Notice that the population of the North never declined in this period. Remember that the Aba Women Revolution happened in December 1929 to January 1930 and that the rumblings for freedom and independence had started in Lagos in the 1920 prompting Lugard to express his open hatred for Southerners who he accused of claiming equality with the White man. It is also open secret that the British preferred the feudal system of government in the North because they worked only with the Emir who could do whatever he liked with his subjects. The British did not have to dirty their hands interacting with the commoners (talakawas). This made colonial administration a lot easier than in the South especially the East where they had to deal with each democratic community and its leadership. It is not hard to see that the British from time purposely suppressed the population of the South and boosted the population of the North and that the leaders of the North were duly informed of the importance of maintaining this false advantage.

In 1952 the North recorded a population of 16.8 million, The East 7.2 million and the West plus Lagos 6.3 million. Notice that in 1911, the population of the North 8.1 million and South 7.9 million was almost equal. However in 1921 the North became larger by 2.1 million, in 1931 by 2.5 million and in 1952 by 3.3 million. This is why just before independence the North insisted that it will automatically be allocated more than 50% of the seats in the House of Representatives at independence. Thus the North won a majority of the seats in the House of Representatives even before the election was held and Abubakar Tafawa Balewa became the prime minister. This also set the stage for all future crises in the Nigerian State.

Immediately after independence Nigeria conducted a census in 1962. The result is as follows: North, 22.5 million, East, 12.4 million, West plus Lagos 10.7 million. This meant that the North was 22.5 million and the South was 23.1 million. Northern politicians promptly rejected the census figures and in collusion with the Federal government revised the figures for the North from 22.5 million to 31.0 million leaving all the others figures as they were. The East and West rejected this and a new census or recount was conducted in 1963. Here are the results of the 1963 census: North 29.8 million, East 12.4 million, West and Lagos 11.0 million, and Mid West 2.5 million. Pay attention now. Notice that between 1962 and 1963 the population of the North jumped from 22.5 (1962) to 31.0 (1962 revised) to 29.8 million (1963) in one year. The East stayed the same from 12.4 (1962) to 12.3 (1962 revised) to 12.4 (1963) in one year. The West plus Lagos went from 8.5 (1963) to 8.5 (1963 revised) to 11.0 million (1963) in one year. The Mid West went from 2.2 (1962) to 2.2 (1962 revised) to 2.5 million (1963). While the governments of Eastern Nigeria and Mid Western Nigeria protested this ugly and shameful inflation of figures, the governments of Northern, and Western Nigeria plus the Federal Government of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa shamelessly accepted these figures as the authentic census of Nigeria and published it making Nigeria the laughing stock of the world. That intelligent and literate people could accept this outrageous fraud and with a bold face defend these screaming lies shocked and bugled the mind. A close look at these figures shows that only the East and Mid West approximated reality in the census figures thus presented. Despite the protests shameless Nigerian government officials have continued to use these figures in official presentations. In 1973 Yakubu Gowon tried his clumsy hands at another census. But the figures were so outrageous and bungled that the entire exercise and results was cancelled. In 1991, the magician Ibrahim Babangida pretended to conduct a census and then sat down and assigned figures to different states as he pleased. However a critical look at the figures reveals the utter stupidity of the exercise as Babangida tried to be too clever by half. For example any demographer who undertakes an extensive tour of these four states: Jigawa, Imo, Anambra and Delta will quickly tell you that there is no way the population of Jigawa will be more than the population of Imo, Anambra or Delta. But it is so in the 1991 census.

The people of Eastern and Mid Western Nigeria realize today that the Caliphate and the Hausa Fulani Yoruba oligarchs you are dealing with are pathological liars for whom no lie is too absurd, too shameful to tell. They will say and do anything to stay in power no matter how shameful and ridiculous. After all did Obasanjo not tell you that he makes $30 million from his Ota Farm every month? Chicken farms in the US don’t make that kind of money. Didn’t Umaru Dikko say that the North provided the first I million pounds for Oil exploration in the Niger Delta? Didn’t Bala Usman say that there is nothing like Igbo nation and that Urhobo, Itsekiri, Ijaw, Esan, and Isoko were only created by the British in the 1930’s. Therefore the good people of the East there is no point conducting a census with the people of Nigeria since they have already decided what figure they will give you. If you participate in this census you will only be legitimizing the falsehood, the fraud that these people have planned to foist on you. You must not participate in this charade. You must resist and stay away from anything called Census. Biafra Foundation in collaboration with MASSOB and other Biafra Organizations demand that you boycott this census. Whether they include ethnicity and religion or not it will still be useless and will be of no benefit to you, your children and your community. Rather the Caliphate and the Hausa Fulani Yoruba oligarchs will manipulate it and use it as cover to continue to loot the natural resources belonging to the people of the East and Mid West. So let Nigeria continue to lie about her population. Biafrans will no longer participate in this bare faced lie. Biafrans will do her own census when she wants and it will be an accurate head count with ethnicity, religion, age, gender level of education and other demographics fully documented. Biafra Foundation and MASSOB urge Ohaneze Youth Council, Igbo Youth Movement, World Igbo Youth Council, South East Youth Coalition, Ijaw Youth Movement, MOSOP, and indeed all Anang, Efik, Ibibio, Igbo, Ijaw, Ekoi, Ogoja, Ogoni, Itsekiri, Esan, Urhobo, Isoko, Edo and every man woman and child in the East to boycott this useless census. This census is meaningless and will only help the Caliphate and the Hausa Fulani Yoruba oligarchs to continue to manipulate, persecute, exploit and humiliate you and steal your resources. Now is the time to say No to them.

May God bless you all, the Sovereign Republic of Biafra and all those fighting for her freedom!

---

posted                         

quote:

---

THE POPULATION CENSUS AND NIGERIA'S DATA CONTRADICTIONS

There are too many grotesque situations and even stranger wonders in Nigeria. Nigeria is the only nation in the world where the population in the desert region far outstrips the population in the coastal area. Stranger than fiction, the population density in the Northern Region is so huge there are more people in the cities of Kano, Kaduna, Maiduguri, Sokoto, Zaria, Katsina, Minna than there are in Lagos, Ibadan, Benin, Warri, Sapele, Enugu, Onitsha, Asaba and Calabar!

Geographers across the world are beginning to wonder how Nigeria has become a special case (and a shameful one at that) that has defied their theories which suggest more people concentrate more in the coastal region which has so much opportunities for trade, transportation, industry, proximity to resources, particularly from the riches of the seas and oceans. There are more cities around the world with huge populations and situated on the coasts than there are cities in the desert and rapidly choking hinterlands. The cities of Barcelona, Malaga, Valencia, London, Glasgow, Liverpool, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Stockholm, Oslo, Petersburg, Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Auckland, Christchurch and several other coastal cities that dot New Zealand , Vancouver, Victoria, New York, Washington, DC, Boston, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago, Toronto, Seattle and several other coastal cities in North America.

People congregate heavily in areas where there are resources and opportunities and not in areas where there is a dearth of virtually everything, where hunger, poverty, the lack of water and rain and where there is no work. Except of course, laziness is also a reason that account for human congregation and habitation, which would be unusual. There are just too many inconsistencies in Nigeria and this is one ambiguity that has its roots in wealth, economic and resource allocation.

The revenue allocation formula in Nigeria is tilted heavily in favour of population rather than contribution; it confers advantage to number rather than to input, it is the population of a state, its number that enables it to corner a larger share of the nation's resources. The same population determines the number of local government a state can have, rather than the volume of economic activities, the industrial growth, the socio-economic growth of that state. Nigeria just defy every logic, every rational logic that has served and continue to serve mankind and provide basis for growth, development and advancement has been reversed and made to look inadequate in Nigeria by the nation's special and unique approach to things, strange way of doing things and uncouth resolve to cut corners, to cheat others, to serve self and to deny others what rightfully belonged to them. - Babs Ajayi

---

posted                         

quote:

---

ABUJA — NORTHERN Senators denounced yesterday, Monday’s resolution of Southern political leaders on the North’s quest for power shift to the North in 2007. While agreeing that the Southern politicians were entitled to express any opinion they so desired, the Northern Senators asserted the region’s claim to the presidency in 2007, stressing that if not zoned to the North, then the zone would clinch it through its assumed superior number of voters.

---

posted                         

quote:

---

Why we must Boycott the Nigerian Census

"...Allow us to explain it again. Let’s say there are 2 compounds and each has 20 indigenous members. Compound A, your compound, has only 10 people living in it at the moment, because your members love to leave home and go elsewhere (but return frequently and on special occasions, and otherwise always maintain constant family, business and financial ties); so 10 persons left your compound and are now staying in compound B. No one has left Compound B—well, except for one person, and he came over to your Compound, A; otherwise, all members of Compound B are still there. Now, it’s time for a census. And, the rules are that: 1) everyone will be counted wherever he is, as a member of that Compound; 2) No one will be allowed, prior to the count, to return to his Compound of origin if he had left earlier; and 3) a total of $40 will be divided between the compounds according to how many persons are there. Recall, each compound originally started with 20 members. Your Compound, A, now has 20 + 1 - 10 = 11 persons. Compound B now has 20 – 1 + 10 =29 persons. So, your Compound, A, gets $11 while Compound B gets $29. Imagine the discrepancy: not only is your Compound not getting half of the allocation, but you are not even getting just $10 less (representing the 10 that left your compound); and the difference between what you are getting and what the other compound gets has now ballooned to almost $20—in the other compound’s favor. Imagine what you can do with $20 extra in this scenario! …"

Fellow, Biafrans: you already know that we Biafrans will, with 100 percent certainty, boycott any census planned by Nigeria, and you agree with us on why. That does not stop us from continuing with the examination of the arrogance and brazenness of Nigerian and Nigerian officials as they plan to cheat and defraud Ndigbo. Back on February 10, 2005, as reported by the Daily Triumph’s Farouk Adamu Yakasai from Gusau, the chairman of the National Population Commission (NPC), Alhaji Sama’ila Danko Makama threatened that if you fail to be counted, you will be sent to jail. That was not all that he said in that report. He also said that: “The migration of people to their home towns distorts census figures and this affects planning for development…” Do you now understand what he, representing Nigeria (and along with Nigeria), is trying to do to us Biafrans? Well, he and Nigeria will fail. Because, we shall not be counted in the Nigerian census, no matter what. And, Biafrans residing in other parts of Nigeria will come home if and when it so pleases them, whether or not Nigeria is holding a census at that time...

Everywhere else in Nigeria, our people are being singled out and mistreated, are subjected to extortion, dispossessed of their property; and are being killed by the Nigeria police—especially the DPO’s, after being thrown in jail without reason other than that the Nigeria police is acting out, with relish, the specific anti-Igbo / anti-Biafra policy of Obasanjo and Nigeria.

So, we ask you: in the light of this, why would anyone of us want to be counted in Nigeria, as Nigerians and for Nigeria? And, what more can the Alhaji’s and the Obasanjo’s and the DPO’s and the police threaten us with which would compel us to allow ourselves to be counted, when we have already refused to? They have already killed us; they have already jailed us. We are numb from the injuries they have already inflicted on us (and are still inflicting on us). What more, and what else, can they do to us to force us to be counted in their evil Nigeria and evil census scheme? We refuse to be intimidated. We do not feel the sting of their cruelty and persecution any more.

There may still be fools of Igbo or Biafran origin out there who want to be counted in Nigeria. They may be using the stupid reason that the census is to be used to allocate resources. Let us explain to you why this is truly stupid. Now, think about it. According to Alhaji Makama, the NPC Chairman, if you, and Igbo, or Biafran, live in, say, Kano, you must be counted in Kano so that resources can be allocated to Kano because of you. If you say, “well, no, but I want my relatives living in Igboland / Biafraland to get credit for me; I am going home to Igboland / Biafraland to be counted there so that the resources can be allocated to Igboland for me…,” then the Alhaji laughs at you, because here is what the Nigerian policy is on that, according to Alhaji Makama: The migration of people to their home towns distorts census figures and this affects planning for development…”“—that’s an accurate quote.

It is a known fact that in every other part of Nigeria, the Igbo constitute the second largest ethnic nationality, only next to the indigenes. On the other hand, the fraction of non-Igbo living in Igboland is so little as to be considered insignificant: the Igbo gesture is not reciprocated, in other words. So, the Igbo and other Biafrans living outside of Igboland use their numbers to swell the populations of those non-Igbo areas, by Nigeria’s deliberately chosen census scheme. Resources are then allocated to those non-Igbo areas in Nigeria based on the populations enhanced by Igbo presence therein. Meanwhile, back home in Igboland / Biafraland, the Igbo population is reduced by the same number of Igbo living outside of Igboland; however, the population gap now widens by double that number, because that deficit for Igboland is now added to non-Igbo areas in Nigeria where the Igbo reside. Since this is what Nigeria claims determines resource allocation, you can see how thoroughly and doubly the Igbo are cheated. You do the Math!

Allow us to explain it again. Let’s say there are 2 compounds and each has 20 indigenous members. Compound A, your compound, has only 10 people living in it at the moment, because your members love to leave home and go elsewhere (but return frequently and on special occasions, and otherwise always maintain constant family, business and financial ties); so 10 persons left your compound and are now staying in compound B. No one has left Compound B—well, except for one person, and he came over to your Compound, A; otherwise, all members of Compound B are still there. Now, it’s time for a census. And, the rules are that: 1) everyone will be counted wherever he is, as a member of that Compound; 2) No one will be allowed, prior to the count, to return to his Compound of origin if he had left earlier; and 3) a total of $40 will be divided between the compounds according to how many persons are there. Recall, each compound originally started with 20 members. Your Compound, A, now has 20 + 1 - 10 = 11 persons. Compound B now has 20 – 1 + 10 =29 persons. So, your Compound, A, gets $11 while Compound B gets $29. Imagine the discrepancy: not only is your Compound not getting half of the allocation, but you are not even getting just $10 less (representing the 10 that left your compound); and the difference between what you are getting and what the other compound gets has now ballooned to almost $20—in the other compound’s favor. Imagine what you can do with $20 extra in this scenario!

You see now why we said that your participation in the Nigerian Census is, “…truly stupid…”? If this were all of it, perhaps, one might forgive the stupidity. But consider this. Igbo and other Biafrans living outside of Igboland are never even considered indigenes in those lands. So, they can’t even domicile anywhere they want in those other places; they must live in specially zoned and specifically designated areas as determined by their hosts. They cannot hold political offices in those other lands: in fact, they have no say in what goes on there. The Igbo pay taxes and develop businesses and services to benefit those areas, and are never government-welfare dependents. In reality, none of those touted “allocated resources” are offered to the Igbo in those lands, the Igbo being for the most part self-sufficient and self-dependent, paying handily for whatever amenities they use; while being considered and treated by their hosts as foreigners who have no rights of indigene-host.

Does it stop there? Not really. After the census is conducted, Obasanjo and his government will alter the figures, first, to satisfy the Northern Nigerian Caliphates by padding the Northern Nigerian numbers hugely; second, Obasanjo will pad the Western Nigerian numbers, too. Not quite satisfied—and then—they will turn around and shave off a substantial number from whatever the relatively meager Igbo numbers by now are. Once again, the Igbo are doubly and triple cheated. This is not a fable: this is a documented, consistent pattern with Nigerian censuses conducted since 1962.

Are we done? Not quite. There is more. Obasanjo and his government will then publish the deliberately adulterated census numbers, and Nigeria will accept it (anything that cheats the Igbo is readily acceptable and very agreeable to Nigerians); and the EU and the rest of the world will adopt it, and no one will say anything further. And, the real stated goal of Nigeria, “resource ‘mis’-allocation to punish the Igbo,” will have been carried out and accomplished. This census is designed by Nigeria to cheat the Igbo.

Hold on: we are not through yet. What really makes you want to cry is this. Remember, the Alhaji said the census was all about resources and resource allocation? Ask yourself: what resources? 95% to 99% of resources on which Nigeria thrives, comes from Igbo and other Biafran areas. It’s Oil! Imagine that! The Alhaji and Nigeria have thus devised a clever way to steal and divert about 95% of our own Biafran resources to Northern Nigeria and Western Nigeria—and they want to officially rationalize, legitimize and validate it with this type of census? Oh God of Justice: are You still there? Oh God: are You watching this—really? We mere mortals are onl