Finally, my thoughts on Biafra.
Biafra, o Biafra.
The Promiseland of all Ibos: or so we are made to believe. When Ojukwu Ikemba’s dream will come to pass through Nnamdi Kanu, quite like Martin Luther King Jnr’s dream came to pass in Barack Obama: That Biafra, where milk and honey will flow on the streets for all Ibos. Isn’t that so?
I truly hope so. I truly hope for the happiness of every individual irrespective of race, tribe or creed especially now that there is much agitation. But on the Biafra issue, I remain neutral until these questions are answered:
Are ALL Ibo’s unanimously in support of the Biafra movement? Is Biafra the ONLY solution to the agitation of the ibos? Has the average ibo individual rationally concluded that Biafra is the way to go or is this just another political movement making the rounds? Is Biafra the BEST solution with least dire consequence?
Nigeria is a diverse country and the clamor for another country by some Ibo’s could put Ibo’s in other parts of Nigeria at a huge risk. Ibo’s are very diligent, resilient and adaptive people and have managed to thrive everywhere they go. They have built empires, businesses and made names for themselves in all parts of Nigeria, Africa and the world. They hold tenaciously to their traditions and are proud emblems of Nigeria’s rich cultural heritage. On a personal note, In view of my dating history, there’s an 80% chance I will marry an Ibo woman. =D
Ibos are at the back bone of industry in Nigeria. Where no one dared, Innoson dreamed of and made Nigeria’s first automotive industry. Ebaano stores are at the heart of lagos. Chimamanda Adichie has become a voice for women allover the world. We have enjoyed the entertainment of Genevieve Nnaji, Kanayo O Kanayo, Psquare, Pete Edochie, Nkem Owoh, the football enterprise of Kanu Nwanko, Mikkel Obi and athleticism of Chioma Ajunwa to name a few. These people are part and parcel of Nigeria we all are proud of them. We do not remember their tribe when we watch their movies, play their songs, interact with them and enjoy their products. There is an ibo market in almost every major city in Nigeria.
But when it comes to POLITICS, we are made to believe that they haven’t been dealt a fair share. Whereas, I have never seen anywhere it is written that Nigeria cannot have an Ibo President, it seems to be an unwritten rule since the Civil war. Politics very often creates divisions where there are none and turns friends into bitter enemies. The politician and the citizen live in two different worlds and the former tends to influence the latter, but rarely vice versa. Wars are costly, and very often the price paid is not in money but in peoples lives. And most times, the people who pay with their lives are hardly ever the people who started the war nor are they the ones who enjoy the spoils of war.
Was Ojukwus dream right, wrong, selfish or selfless, I cannot tell. But it cost alot of blood. Is Nnamdi Kanu acting in the best interest of ALL Ibo’s, I am not in position to say. I leave that to all my ibo friends to decide. If the Ibos are unanimously committed and united and determined that it is Biafra that they want, then who am I to say they are wrong. Nonetheless, no matter what political lines people seek to draw, the ibo man is still a fellow Nigerian in my eyes and if there is one day a Biafra Republic, I do hope it is all that the Ibo’s dreamed it would be.
#LetIbosDecide