BIAFRA NOT A VICTORY FOR THE IGBOS BUT A DEFEAT

The president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, has categorically stated that there will be no Biafra. Putting an end to, or rather restating his stance on the issue of secession which has undoubtedly stirred controversy within and outside the country amongst proponents and opponents; the president has insisted that the country will not break up.

Agitation for an independent state of Biafra resuscitated even after the death of its architect, Odumegwu Ojukwu, who mobilized and led the Igbos to war against the state of Nigeria in the latter part of the 60s. The struggle culminated in the Nigerian Civil War which lasted for approximately 3 years from July 1967- January 1970.

General Yakubu Gowon, Nigeria’s first military Head of State, was the president then and he had to deal with the rather insurmountable issue. Perhaps there was an end to the fight but not the war. Perhaps, this could well explain its resurgence under President Buhari’s administration.

More so, the fact that the president hails from the northern part of the country might also have contributed to the resurgence of the struggle at this particular point in time. It will seem also that the rebirth of militancy in a new form in the Niger Delta has some connection with the fact that the president is a Hausa man.

There is no doubt that every tribe in Nigeria would like to produce a President. There seems to be a feeling which I cannot quite comprehend, that Nigerians enjoy deep inside of them when the president hails from their part of the country or share certain ethnic ties with them. For some, the issue is not just ethnical but religious. Indeed, ethnicity and religion in Nigeria are intertwined in a complicated way.

Thus, the trend seems about to be that once the president emerges from one part of the country, the other parts take it upon themselves to frustrate his administration. Dr. Goodluck Jonathan was from Southern Nigeria and during his administration, militancy or even ‘one Biafra’ did not exist. What existed was Boko Haram, a terrorist group from Northern Nigeria committed to wreaking havoc on the country.

Now, the incumbent president hails from Northern Nigeria and guess what? Boko Haram still exists but we do not hear about them like we used to. There is no gainsaying that their dreadful activities are growing rather unpopular. At any rate, they are no longer the paramount concern of the nation at the moment. Rather, it is now the turm of the Southerners, the militants and the Pro Biafrans, to wreak havoc on the country. 

Igbos feel they have been and are being sidelined. They feel other tribes regard them with contempt and have refused or prevented them from producing a president. This amongst other things could well be the underlying rationale for their agitation. It is true that an Igbo man from Eastern Nigeria has not been president especially since the commencement of a purported democratic era since 1999. A Yoruba has been president. A Hausa has been president. A southerner has even been president. But an Igbo has not. Does this then mean that the Igbos have been sidelined? No. I do not think so.

Igbos have been accorded with the same rights as other tribes. They have been elected and appointed into key positions in government since the start of our purported democracy.

As a matter of fact, the first five Senate presidents of Nigeria from 1999-2007 were Igbos. See the list below.

Evan Enwerem……………………...1999

Chuba Okadigbo…………………...1999-2000

Anyim Pius Anyim…………………..2000-2003

Adolphus Wabara…………………..2003-2005

Ken Nnamani……………………….2005-2007

There are other renowned Igbos who have been and who are still occupying notable positions. Chukwuma Soludo was the Governor of the Central Bank for several years; Ngozi Okonjo- Iweala has dominated as the minister of finance for many years; Diezani Madueke has been minister of petroleum, and Mr. Geoffrey Onyeama is currently the Minister of Foreign Affairs. These are only a few of the many Igbos who have been in key areas of government.

Notwithstanding, the question we ought to ask is; why is it that the Igbos have not produced a president? I will tell you.

Several respectable Igbo persons, names withheld, during past elections, expressed their desire to run for presidency. Their desires were however not solid. They were in fact tainted by greed and immediate gratification. Many were offered money to step down while others were promised positions if they backed down. They gladly accepted and did as they were told. You might say they would not have won but is it not more honourable to contest and lose than take money and step down without even a fight?

Fight! I think that is the word. If Igbos were as serious and determined to be president as the Hausas are, then I think we would have had one or two Igbo presidents by now. Before the elections in 2011, one Hausa man was told to step down for another in a bid to merge two parties as one and fight Jonathan and PDP. He refused to step down even for a fellow Hausa- determination. Even though both eventually lost, one did not give up. He fought again and he was successful.

I am not a fan of Buhari but one cannot but admire his determination to get into office regardless of the fact that I was convinced of his inability to deliver. Who says determination does not pay; even in Nigerian politics?

Thus, I think the Igbos have been sideling themselves. I think they have been the architect of their own misfortune. Rather than stand and participate in the political battle, they are cowering away under the guise of secession.

I have great admiration for the Igbos. I admire their enterprise, business sense, resilience and many more.  I think they are an intelligent crop, judging from the friends and classmates I have had. However, when it comes to playing politics, they are just not it at all. They seem to be getting the best positions in school and clinching the awards in higher institutions, but where are they in political leadership?

Is agitating for secession the solution? It definitely is not. Igbos need to step up. They need to open their eyes to the truth- the truth that they are the ones sidelining themselves. They need to come out and contend for the seat of president with the Hausas, Yorubas and others. They need to put aside ephemeral monetary gratification and pursue an ambition that is worth a whole lot more.

As for me, I believe a successful Biafra will be a defeat to the Igbos and not a victory. It will then mean that they have yielded to the Hausas and Yorubas; that they have conceded defeat; that they have agreed to run away from the fight. If this happens, I will lose my respect for them forever.

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