|
Biafra will never rise again! It is dead. Lay a wreath for Biafra in the graves of your hearts. It died in 1970 when the federal troops subdued the uprising in Eastern Nigeria after three years of civil war. Why can’t we get it into our hard heads that it is all over? We must now go on with one Nigeria. Do we have any choice? Do you?
The recent outcry from Eastern Nigeria chaired by some Ibos flaunting the new Biafra was initially welcomed by some conformists, but the Biafran patriots did not do their jobs well as the whole Biafra outlook was something like the Odua People Congress (OPC) and it counterpart the Arewa People Congress (APC). But then they got support from majority of Ibos in Diaspora. What kind of support? Writing articles on internet and the print media. That’s that.
Uwazurike, the CEO of the new Biafra, got it all wrong from the beginning. It has to do with the timing, the morale of the people, and perhaps ignoring history or the ignorance of it. When Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu executed his coup he was planning a revolution that would change Nigeria, not a civil war that would lead to secession. When Emeka Odimegwu Ojukwu declared secession he had no choice because the people wanted it. They came out to support it, fought it, died in it, and when it ended they had no regret. It was worth it. They fought and died for what they believed. Biafra then was an ideology, a dream, a passion, that was worth fighting and dying for. And even though it wasn’t realized there was a sense of pride and a sense of fulfilment. But after over three and a half decade after the civil war all that has died, and even though Nigeria’s unity in diversity has not been as it is sang, Nigeria has united more than ever.
Let us start with the old map of Biafra that included Cross Rivers state, Akwa Ibom state, Bendel state, Delta state and Rivers State. Today, like before, the people of these areas have made it clear that they are not Ibos and wouldn’t go along with the Ibos when it comes to Biafra. Majority of Ibo leaders are not in support of the new agitation for Biafra. The Biafran patriotism has been a beer parlour gist when people sit to relax in beer parlour and discuss what they wished after a hard day work. Even at that many Ibos are not in support or committed. When Uwazurike was charging the Ibos to obey him and ignore the federal government, some of us thought this could get serious, at least he made headlines in our dailies and weeklies, but I remember a friend told me that the man would only succeed in using Bakassi boys to cause riot. When he was arrested some of his ardent followers and supporters threatened fire and brimstone but after few weeks they all went back to their businesses leaving him now alone in jail with charges hanging on his neck. This should tell anyone that the sun that once brightened the Biafra passion has died, it cannot be resurrected again.
People who live romancing utopia will never get anywhere. I will encourage my Ibo brothers who still passionately hold to the mirage that one day they would have a Biafra to forget it and start thinking about building a new Nigeria. Our heroes past have disappointed us all; they sowed ethnicity, tribalism, sectionalism, nepotism and suspicion, which had its root from colonial manipulation to keep us disunited and dependant on them. We can all come together and change it to our advantage. I am calling to the youths of Nigeria, Ibos, Hausas, Yorubas, Idomas, Tivs, Kanuris, Nupes, Igala, Igbira, Itsekiri, Gwari, and all other tribes I have not mentioned in Nigeria, to join hands together and refuse to believe our parents, politicians, and anyone who want to separate this nation. We can make it the giant of Africa together. And it doesn’t matter if you are a Christian or Moslem, man or woman, tall or short, smart or dull. What you cannot change you make it better.
Emeka Odimegwu Ojukwu contested in the past election under APGA, a party registered by the Nigerian government. Of course he knew he was not going to win election and become Nigeria’s president, but he did. What did that tell you? That tells me Ojukwu himself no longer believes in the Biafran story. Ojukwu has always been a realist, how could you not admire such a man. He has a way of sending a message and I think that message is, ‘forget it, it is over with half of a yellow sun.’
Biafra was once a dream, a dream forced on us by Lord Luggard’s faux pas amalgamation of Nigeria, but we must bury it and forge ahead to build a bigger dream that is Nigeria. The mistake of Lord Luggard could be a bigger advantage for us. We must all face reality and stop chasing the wind, for those who chase the wind will never catch anything but end up miserable and disappointed till the end. Our problems are the very corrupt and inhuman elites. Save your energy for them. We can no longer keep silent and watch them steal our dreams to Switzerland.
We must put our hands together to fight the biggest war of our history, and that is the war against corruption. We can not afford to keep silent and watch our governors, local government chairmen, councillors, and those entrusted with responsibilities of handling affairs of this nation steal state money and share with their friends and Godfathers. We can not keep silent and let our president do what he/she wants with Nigeria. We must call our legislatures to order to make laws that would not allow anyone run Nigeria like a personal company. Nigeria is for all of us and not just for those who reside or have access to Aso Rock.
And my Moslem brothers and sisters in the north must educate their people that you cannot start killing innocent Nigerians because of a Danish cartoon or War in Iraq. Our Moslem brothers and sisters in the north must be educated that Nigeria is a secular state and not an Islamic state, therefore a Christian, Hindu, Buddhist, or pagan, has a right to worship whatever he or she believes. That is why I am in support of same sex marriage law to break the monopoly of Nigeria by either Christianity or Islam.
|
Authors 
Posted by Robot| 13.03.2007 14:01