By Onumajuru Onyekachi Macsantos (Abia Writers) Edited by Nkechi Onuoha The 2024 Abia State IPOB Heroes and Heroines Remembrance Day sta...
By Onumajuru Onyekachi Macsantos (Abia Writers)
Edited by Nkechi Onuoha
The 2024 Abia State IPOB Heroes and Heroines Remembrance Day started on 29th May 2024, around a few minutes to midnight, with an opening prayer, followed by the Biafran National Anthem. At exactly midnight, we observed two minutes of silence in honour of our fallen heroes and heroines at the venue of the event, accompanied by canon, local guns and bangers shots at different locations all over Abia State by IPOB members. There was lighting of candles in order of authority.
The Heroes Remembrance prayer led by Abia State Coordinator was said facing the East direction. During the prayer, names of some of the fallen heroes and heroines from our eternal leader Dim Odimegwu Ojukwu, Philip Effiong to many brave Biafran soldiers and some foreigners who assisted Biafra especially Bruce Mayrock, a 20 years University undergraduate who set himself ablaze in front of United Nations building in protest against Biafra genocide were mentioned intermittently and to each the crowd responded, " we remember thee". It was a moment of profound, sober reflection. After the Heroes remembrance prayer, at exactly 12:37 a.m., another two minutes of silence was observed with lighted candles raised.
Afterwards, the national, Abia state, senatorial, zonal, and unit coordinators and every IPOB member in attendance dropped the lighted candles in front of the portraits of our fallen heroes and Heroines. Flowers were also gifted to our heroes and heroines as an expression of love and appreciation for their great sacrifices. With this, the heroes' and heroines' altar looked colourful and spiritually fascinating.
The invocation of Our Heroes and Heroines with the great oja dike was accompanied by the National Coordinator chanting the names and praises of the fallen heroes and heroines. Then, we noticed the presence of the spirits of our departed ones.
The event took a more practical dimension with the burning of basic Nigeria Identities.
Some basic Nigeria Identities, such as The Nigeria National Flag, The Nigeria Constitution, The Nigeria Coat of Arms and The Nigeria National Anthem, were set ablaze, and the ashes were buried. This act symbolizes that Nigeria has been destroyed, dead and buried. After the exercise, Biafran gyration took the stage.
The Abia State Coordinator presented the Heroes' Remembrance Day Address, followed by the assistant Abia State Woman Leader and her colleagues, who narrated their version of the sufferings of the BIAFRAN people during the Biafra war and gave advice. A Little Biafra Child outlined how BIAFRAN people suffered during the Biafra genocide in the Igbo language. The living legends and veterans narrated their ugly experiences of the Biafra war that lasted for three years and how the entire world supported the bloody genocide against Biafra. Many elders took us down the memory lane of the sufferings of Biafran people from 1945 through the war era till date. The National Coordinator lectured on the topic " Why Did The Whole World Hate BIAFRANS".
There was platform for both Christian prayer and traditional prayer( which involves igo ofor, iwa oji and itu mmanya done at sunrise facing the east. Sounds of the local flute(oja) stirred the air afterwards.
Refreshments and a brief meeting for future planning followed pari paasu.
Finally, at precisely noon on 30th May 2024, there were cannon shots and another two minutes of silence as the last respect for our great heroes and heroines for the 2024 Heroes Remembrance Day and as a way of arousing their spirits to go out and fight for us.
In the end, all must hail BIAFRA.
In Biafra, we stand
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