THE BIAFRA QUESTION: IS SECESSION THE ANSWER? (1)

This is one topic that I try as much as possible to shy away from. The truth is that I dislike it so much that whenever I see any literature pertaining to Biafra, I scroll furiously away with the speed of Usain Bolt. Operation waka pass. However, a colleague has been asking for my two dollars on the issue. (Someone predicted an exchange rate of N1 to the dollar). For that reason, I shall be sailing in forbidden waters today.

The concept of “Biafra” is older than quite a number of us that utilize the various social media platforms. This is not a history lesson, so I am just going to gloss over the major highlights.

Biafra, officially the Republic of Biafra, was a secessionist state in south eastern Nigeria that existed from 30 May 1967 to 15 January 1970, taking its name from the Bight of Biafra (the Atlantic bay to its south). The inhabitants were mostly the Igbo people who led the secession due to economic, ethnic, cultural and religious tensions among the various peoples of Nigeria. The creation of the new state that was pushing for recognition was among the causes of the Nigerian Civil War, also known as the Nigerian-Biafran War.

The Nigerian Civil War, also known as the Biafran War, was a war fought to counter the secession of Biafra from Nigeria. Biafra represented nationalist aspirations of the Igbo people, whose leadership felt they could no longer coexist with the Northern-dominated federal government. The conflict resulted from political, economic, ethnic, cultural and religious tensions which preceded Britain's formal decolonization of Nigeria from 1960–1963. Immediate causes of the war in 1966 included a military coup, a counter-coup, and persecution of Igbo living in Northern Nigeria. Control over oil production in the Niger Delta played a vital strategic role.

The war cost the Igbos a great deal in terms of lives, money and infrastructure. It has been estimated that up to three million people may have died due to the conflict, most from hunger and disease caused by Nigerian forces. More than two million people died from the famine imposed deliberately through blockade throughout the war. Lack of medicine also contributed. Thousands of people starved to death every day as the war progressed. (The International Committee of the Red Cross in September 1968 estimated 8,000–10,000 deaths from starvation each day.) The leader of a Nigerian peace conference delegation said in 1968 that "starvation is a legitimate weapon of war and we have every intention of using it against the rebels". This stance is generally considered to reflect the policy of the Nigerian government. The federal Nigerian army is accused of further atrocities including deliberate bombing of civilians, mass slaughter with machine guns, and rape.

Reconstruction, helped by the oil money, was swift; however, the old ethnic and religious tensions remained a constant feature of Nigerian politics. Accusations were made of Nigerian government officials diverting resources meant for reconstruction in the former Biafran areas to their ethnic areas. Military government continued in power in Nigeria for many years, and people in the oil-producing areas claimed they were being denied a fair share of oil revenues. Laws were passed mandating that political parties could not be ethnically or tribally based; however, it has been hard to make this work in practice.

The Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) is a secessionist movement with the aim of securing the resurgence of the defunct state of Biafra from Nigeria. It is led by an Indian-trained lawyer Ralph Uwazuruike, with headquarters in Okwe, in the Okigwe district of Imo State.

MASSOB's leaders say it is a peaceful group and advertise a 25-stage plan to achieve its goal peacefully. There are two arms to the government, the Biafra Government in Exile and Biafra Shadow Government.

The Nigerian government accuses MASSOB of violence. Since its inception, MASSOB has continually alleged mass arrests and killings of its members by government forces.

Till date, the average Igbo man alleges marginalization by the other tribes, particularly the North. I totally agree that the marginalization is real, but not in the way he thinks.

Igbos are marginalized by …themselves!

The Igbos are highly resourceful, enterprising and innovative people. The average Igbo man is proficient in business. We have lots of Igbos that are stupendously wealthy. Many of them make their wealth outside Igboland.

The kind of wealth at the disposal of their multibillionaires is more than enough to build 20 bridges across River Niger, but what do they do with their wealth? They develop their host communities and build a palatial mansion in the village which they visit biannually to show off.

Igbos are marginalized by …their elders!

Their elders are selfish, I must tell the truth. They benefited from Nigeria when things were much better. They messed things up for the rest of them, and they are still in the business of ruining things. Don’t you dare give me that line that they fought for independence, for democracy or whatever! Many of them have compensated themselves adequately at the expense of the average person. They have property that you and I can only dream of.

When an elderly person presents the argument of “16 years of rot”, I always ask what he was doing those 16 years. It’s either he was participating, or just observing. Either way, he is an accomplice to evil.

All over the world, the younger generation is taking over and making progress. That is how it should be. The elders have done their best, or worst. It is time for them to take a back seat.

Igbos are marginalized by …their politicians!

There are some states in the South-East that are nothing to write home about. If your kinsman, who is your governor, is ruling with impunity, is it because he has he has suddenly turned Hausa-Fulani? Learn to place blames where they belong. If you cannot call your own leaders to order, you have no business accusing the North of marginalizing you.

Igbos are marginalized by …their attitude to politics!

When it is time for things that truly matter, may your love for money not deprive you of your rights. Can I get an “amen”?

Time for census, some people will never go. National ID card, dem no get. PVC nko? Dem no get.

Your mates in the North would troop out en masse each time, just to get registered. The average Hausa man would register himself, his wives, his kids, his aged parents, his goats and his cows. You’re there doing business, and shouting “marginalization”.

Every Hausa man owns a transistor radio which they use to listen to news and political discussions in their own language, even when they are miles away from home. You don’t even know the name of your local government chairman, you are busy doing business and screaming “marginalization”.

You are marginalizing yourself.

The truth of the matter is that we are all being marginalized by ourselves, and by the politicians that rule over us. The tribe we like to point fingers at, the Hausa-Fulani, are even the worst hit. They have the highest poverty rate in the whole country. You can imagine an “aboki” who arrived Lagos on a grueling 12-hour journey via a trailer carrying cows, shouting “Sai Buhari” because of the promised stipend of five thousand Naira each for the poorest Nigerians.

What could 5k possibly do in the life of this man? With the falling value of the Naira, inflation and all. It could probably  buy him 3 pieces of meat instead of 1, with his favourite tuwon shinkafa. If he’s in a good mood, he would love a bowl of fura da nunu to step down his meal. In the evening, he might buy maganin burantashi and visit the yarinya that has been causing him many sleepless nights. He would also want to give her a little gift.

In a space of three days, the 5k is gone.

The marginalization of the North is heartbreaking. Their region has produced the majority of Nigeria’s leaders, but there is absolutely nothing to show for it.

It is good to agitate for better conditions; it is good to want a positive change. It is constitutional to ask for secession.  I only implore you to look at the bigger picture. Turn your anger into something positive. Don’t misdirect your frustrations.

References: Wikipedia