WRITEN
BY NWOBODO CHIDIEBERE
2SEPT
2017
There
comes a time in a man’s life that he should take a definite stand and call a
spade its rightful name—a spade. For a while, I had not written any piece on
the raging debate of restructuring by pro-Nationalists or Biafra movement being
propelled by Nnamdi Kanu’s led IPOB that has engulfed the Eastern part of
Nigeria like wildfire. I embarked on self-imposed sabbatical time-out, not out
of cowardice but personal reasons. My writing vacation gave me the much-needed
space to introspect into the past and forecast on the future of this country,
especially as it concerns Igbo youths. My deep-seated rumination provided me
the ample opportunity to reach some hard conclusions on the place of Igbo
nation in Nigeria.
Firstly,
I want to state that I will be as tough as truth itself, not minding whose ox
may be gored at the course of my analysis. I am not here to fan the embers of
political correctness. The essence of taking this intellectual cum literary
voyage is not to satisfy anyone’s tribal orgy or massage the ego of any group,
but to pour out my unbiased mind on the Biafra question, as it relates to Igbo
youths. And no apology will be offered for exercising my fundamental right of
free speech. My descendants will through this article, know where their father,
grandfather and great-grandfather stood when their future were being decided. I
am an ardent believer in posterity.
I
must accept and affirm this irrefutable narrative that Igbo Youths are at the
crossroad of their lives in Nigeria of today. Most of us that were born after
Nigeria-Biafran war came into a country that had being systematically skewed
against us, for the sole purpose to cage our growth and mortgage our destinies,
just to get at our fathers who waged war against Nigerian state, not to
dominate other tribes, but for self-preservation when our forerunners were
being massacred mercilessly in the North, for the actions and inactions of few
Igbo soldiers and their co-conspirators from other tribes.
More
than fifty years after the civil war, we are still being punished for the
so-called sins of our fathers. Nigerian State has enslaved us and made us third
class citizens in the same country our pathfinders sacrificed all and fought a
formidable battle to free, from the clutches of British colonial masters.
Nigeria of our founding fathers was later hijacked by chronic Igbo haters, who
institutionalized policies that would ensure that an average Igbo youth does
not attain his or her potentials as longs as the person lives in this
contraption called Nigeria. The same sadistic power brokers who ignorantly
assumed the ownership of Nigeria are not yet satisfied with oppression and
marginalization of Igbo nation. They have succeeded in passing down the wicked
anti-Igbo philosophy to their first and second generations, just to keep
propagating this falsehood; that the tree of unity of Nigeria must be watered
with the pains, frustrations, distrust and stagnation of Igbo nation.
The
tragic end of the war and its attendant losses on the side of Ndigbo eroded the
political confidence of our fathers. Though, Igbos were able to stage a
comeback economically, and even soared higher than our oppressors but that was
not enough. Our fathers carried this psychological wound of a defeated people,
of which infiltrated their spirit—that brought us where we are today. The civil
war ended officially in 1970 but that year heralded the despicable onslaught
against Igbo nation, starting with the horrible and strangulating anti-Igbo
economic policies of Gen. Gowon-led military government. Our fathers and
mothers were forcibly railroaded into accepting their beleaguered fate as
conquered people. Some Igbo people outside present South-East zone began denying
their Igbo ancestry, not out of hate for their kith and kin, but for the sake
of survival. Igbo nation became endangered, stigmatized and has been left in
the deep-ocean of forlornity till date.
THE EMERGENCE OF NNAMDI KANU
A
lot of political pundits are still flabbergasted at the reincarnation of Major
Chukwuma Nzeogwu and late Dim Odimegwu Ojukwu in Nnamdi Kanu. Since the war
ended, all the injustices thrown at Igbo nation by successive Nigeria
governments were swallowed hook, line and sinker by Igbo political leaders. No
one dared to ask the following questions: why is it that South-East remains the
only zone with five states and only 95 LGAs? What is derailing the construction
of second Niger Bridge? Who and who sat down to decide that Enugu Airport and
Onitsha seaport would not become viable, irrespective of the fact that Igbos
are the engine room of the nation's economy? Igbos contribute 75% of the
importations coming into Nigeria, yet since I was born, I have never heard an
Igbo person appointed Custom’s comptroller-general or managing director of
Nigerian Ports Authority? Federal roads in the East are the most dilapidated
yet someone still asking the dumb question on why Igbo youths are angry with
Nigeria? Excuse me please!
Let come to think of it, do you know how many billions of dollars, political and employment opportunities we have lost (and still losing) as a result of shortage of one state and many LGAs in South-East? More tellingly, are you aware that there is no single federal presence in the East? President Jonathan was intimidated out of office because he crossed the ‘red lines’ by giving Igbos‘out of bound' positions? Am I to even discuss the foreclosed possibility of an Igbo man becoming president? Who is fooling who here? The pangs and ardor of Igbo youths have gotten to the point of tailspin, not even the intervention of the so-called Igbo political elite who couldn’t fight for us, can stop the movement now. Where were purported Igbo political leaders before the arrival of Nnamdi Kanu on the scene? Kanu is a product of leadership vacuum that existed in the East before now.
The
resurgence of Biafra struggle is a vote of no confidence on successive Igbo
leaders since after the war, who buried their heads in Sahara-desert-hot sand
like ostrich, while the future of their youths were being stifled by
born-to-rule protagonists. I want to use this medium to warn those who view
this on-going agitation as fallout of 2015 election to better stop
hallucinating, or be caught unawares when the centrifugal and centripetal fault
lines will start erupting on their own. Nnamdi Kanu has succeeded in awakening
the sleeping giants in our youths. We have decided to take our destiny into our
bare hands—not even Nnamdi Kanu himself can stop the fast-moving train of
Biafra! Over one million Kanus have been radicalized to continue this struggle.
We are sick and tired of this epitome of injustice and marginalization called
Nigeria! Enough is enough! If we perish; we perish! It is better to die
fighting for one’s emancipation, than live as a perpetual and
trans-generational slave. Give us referendum if we (Igbo youths) cannot be
mainstreamed into Nigeria! Simple!
The
danger Nigerian State is yet to realize is that, these Igbo youths are not ready
to take trailer loads of nonsensical intimidations and unmitigated oppressions
their fathers endured without raising eyebrows. We are not afraid of losing
anything because we have lost all! The most potent enemy to fight is someone
who has nothing to lose. We have reached that crescendo! The only remedy of
stopping the impending explosion of the age-longed and ingrained anger and
frustrations of Igbo youth with the ossified and unbalanced system of Nigeria
is to initiate total overhauling—if you like call it restructuring of this
entity, to avert looming balkanization of the country. Every region must grow
at its own pace. No ethnic group(s) can hold us down again! Those who are
swimming in the whirlpools of delusion that Nigeria’s unjust unity has been
settled will wake up from their illusions, to discover that there was a country
called Nigeria. No reasonable partner can continue in an abusive and
unproductive marriage, especially when his consent was not sort before the
unholy marriage was conscripted
AREWA”S YOUTHS WITHDRAWAL OF THEIR QUIT NOTICE TO IGBOS
As I was
rounding up this piece, the news broke that Arewa (old) Youths had shamelessly
withdrawn the self-proclaimed quit notice handed down to Igbos of South-East
extraction. I busted into uncontrolled laughter to the mockery of over-pampered
ungrateful parasites, parading themselves as Arewa Youths. Sits and starts, I
knew that the Arewa Youths, who fronted for Northern political leaders, were
subdued under the influence of reveries, by hedging their bet that that quite
notice would frighten IPOB into deserting Biafra struggle. Northern leaders
thought the so-called quite notice would have served as a joker to rattle Igbo
youths, but it failed flat. It collapsed because this is 2017 not 1967 or 1970s.
A new set of Igbo generation has emerged. This is a courageous generation that
are not lily-livered but bold to confront their adversaries henceforth and
retake the control of the ship of Igbo nation from the grip of Fulani
oligarchy.
Published
by : Anyi Kings
Twitter @Anyikingsl
Facebook.com/wisdom.
Email Anyikings57@gmail.com
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