Biafra II: Putting the Cart before the Horse

BIAFRA AGITATORS MARCHING

 

Biafra in its second inception is making the same mistakes that made the first effort a crass failure. The first Biafra in its death throes predictably gave rise to the current northern political/military hegemony in Nigeria with its attendant assault on citizenship and nationhood. Biafra II is just as misguided, cheaply emotional, unprepared and downright comical as the first one.

Biafra as a concept of self-determination and emancipation from perceived oppression is noble and there is nothing wrong with people seeking to govern themselves the way they deem fit. But before there can be self-determination there must be a 'self' itching for an existential birth. Because the definition of what constitutes Biafra II is so nebulous, an otherwise prima facie sane movement has been reduced to the blabbing of half-illiterates who invoke a rather unconcerned Chukwu Okike Abiama as their guide.

Part of what destroyed the first Biafra secession bid under Ojukwu was his somewhat selfish exploitation of the raw emotions unleashed by the pogroms on Igbos in the north after the first military coup in Nigeria. It is true that the Igbos were deliberately targeted and vilified because of their perceived complicity in the planning, execution and trivialization of the loss of the northern political and military elites during the coup. But the anger generated should have been channelled towards a quite build-up of resources, goodwill and economic consolidation of the southeastern part of the country. Ojukwu should have forged a solid framework for the development of his region instead of leading the people through an emotional roller coaster that ended in mass graves.  With a solid southeast and deliberate cultivation of regional and international alliances, the demand for autonomy could have stood a better chance than what eventually happened. Aba, Onitsha, Nnewi and other hubs of trade should have been turned into world-class industrial hubs when they had the chance. Unfortunately, these cities are now symbols of lost possibilities despite the ingenious achievements of the Igbo people during the civil war.

If you listen to the IPOB broadcasts, you begin to wonder what some of the contributors are thinking or drinking. The contributors, egged on by their 'Director' or 'Deputy Director' assume contrived names for places like Port Harcourt [Igwocha] and assume that Niger Delta, parts of Benue and Kogi would go with Biafra II when the chips are down. They declare that any tribe whose women tie two-piece wrapper must be Biafra leaning! The question is; what has IPOB done in any of those areas as a movement? Come to think of it, what has MASSOB or Ohaneze Indigbo done other than collecting dues, seeking government appointments, creating nuisance by issuing illegal license plates and reminding everyone of the UN charter on self-determination? Where are the hospitals, schools, trade institutes and agricultural communes that could lead to self-sufficiency? Autonomy no be for mouth o. A movement this important must not be left to just propagandizing because there are real problems here and real people.

Chinua Achebe once said the problem of Nigeria was that of leadership. True. There is a painful lack of leadership in Igboland and the south generally. The governors, senators, priests and many of the so-called leaders of thought [-lessness] from the southeast are in it to feather their nests. There is no unified front to fight common problems affecting the people; and as it was before 1967, so it is now. The result is that the common people, whom I totally support, cling to whatever would ease their pain, hence the Nnamdi Kanu phenomenon. But Kanu and his comrades need not shout their intentions or go online and on camera to solicit for arms to fight the Nigerian state at a gathering in the US! Na which kind freedom fighter be dis wey all in strategy dey exposed like the private parts of a goat? 

The real revolution that Biafra II needs should be based on subtle but deliberate grass root mobilization for economic stability, security, social consciousness and societal rebirth. This mobilization, if carried out honestly [with serious emphasis on honesty], would not produce parasitic governors, commissioners or senators but accountable public officials. Chukwu Okike Abiama has already given the natural ability to achieve this to the Igbo, so why call on Him to fight using carnal weapons. The southeast/south-south axes have all the human and natural resources to create a viable state. But the fear is that without stabilizing structures and establishment of trust, achieving Biafra II would lay the groundwork for Biafra III within the separate state! 

If Biafra II does its homework, it would not need to solicit anyone to join its movement because the effects of the movement would be felt all over Nigeria without firing a single shot. It is this position of strength that should be sought first, and not prematurely engaging in the comical vituperation plaguing cyberspace and forced protests leading to unfortunate killing and maiming of innocent lives.