From: Geoffrey Anyanwu, Awka
The Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), on Wednesday, said it has no intention to disrupt the forthcoming census exercise scheduled to take place next year across the country, in the South-East geo-political zone.
MASSOB Leader, Comrade Uchenna Madu, stated this while reacting to the fear expressed by National Population Commission (NPC), that the Movement and the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), might disrupt the planned census exercise as they allegedly did during the last exercise 11 years ago.
The Federal Commissioner in charge of NPC in Anambra State, Professor Chika Moore, had raised the fear while addressing newsmen in Awka on the commencement of fieldwork for the third phase of the Enumeration Area Demarcation (EAD), scheduled to take place at Ekwusigo local government area of the state for the proposed 2018 national population and housing census.
But MASSOB leader told newsmen that the organisation would not disrupt the census exercise, provided there would be no deliberate intention to shortchange the people of the zone during the exercise.
He said: “MASSOB will not disrupt any positive step that will better the lives and existence of Ndigbo. The plan by the National Population Commission to conduct the census in Biafra land cannot be disrupted, provided they do not have any ulterior motive to shortchange or subject Ndigbo to minority status.
“They should also be aware that we are Biafrans and not Nigerians, even though they are the ones conducting the census.”
Madu stressed that while the struggled for the actualization of Biafra progressed, they would not disrupt any positive activity of the Nigerian government in the Biafran territory that would be of benefit to the people.