By Osita Nwaka
The Igbos threw their weight behind former
President Goodluck Jonathan in the
presidential election of 2015. His loss in that contest was a bitter pill to
swallow. President Muhammadu Buhari, true to his words has rewarded those that
gave him ninety seven percent of their votes with more appointments than those
who gave him five percent, thereby rubbing in the pain. The foregoing coupled
with the prevailing economic down turn has heightened the agitation for Biafra.
Biafra means different things to different
Igbo persons. To many it is likened to the Biblical Promised land, an Eldorado
to which Nigeria is the wall of separation.
Some perceive it as the only hope of freedom from what Chinweizu Ibekwe
called Caliphate Colonialism. Yet some very wealthy Igbos see it as a journey
into the unknown. Expectations of benefits or fear of suffering setbacks
influence various dispositions. This Article is not an argument for or against
Biafra, rather a reflection on the unrealized realities, a look at those most
probable outcomes which many prefer to wish away. A man who sets out to marry
focusing solely on honeymoon will soon be a candidate for divorce.
The Biafra Ojukwu fought for is different from
what is now. A lot of water has passed under the bridge since the end of the
Civil war. The geographical landscape has been altered with far reaching
consequences. Ojukwu was the Governor of the then Eastern Region comprising the
present South East zone and Niger Delta.
Now, any thought about Biafra should be
confined to the South East zone. It is mere wishful thinking to see Niger Delta
as part of Biafra. If the Igbos do not foresee a Biafra without Niger Delta
then, they might as well rethink the struggle. Niger Delta has been a political
ally of the North. A fact Chief Edwin Clark reminded the North about when he
appealed for their support for President Jonathan’s second term bid. The
romance between the Niger Delta Avengers and pro Biafra agitators is akin to
what Bishop Hassan Kukah termed “alliance of the wounded” as in, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. In the
absence of a common enemy, the cracks resurface. If President Jonathan had won
the election, any profound agitation for Biafra would be considered an affront
on the Niger Delta people in general and Ijaw nation in particular .The Igbos
must come to terms with the fact that Niger Delta people equally have a right
to self determination or to remain a part of Nigeria.
Either
of the aforementioned outcomes has serious implications for Biafra. An
independent Niger Delta leaves Biafra as a landlocked entity bordering Nigeria
and Niger Delta. If Niger Delta remains a part of Nigeria, then Biafra is a
country inside another, called Nigeria. In both scenarios there is no hope of
oil revenue. The Igbos must envisage a Biafra without Monthly Allocation from
oil revenue(except the meager crude oil deposit located in Imo and Abia).
South Sudan has crude oil, but it is
landlocked therefore it pays Sudan for export access. Biafra being a landlocked
entity and her people chiefly into importation, the challenge of using another
country’s ports should also be factored in.
The implication of an independent Biafra on
the numerous Igbo businessmen, and workers in both Private sector and Federal
Civil Service outside Igboland is that their status will change from non
indigenes to non citizens. That definitely is a bar raised.
Emefiele Ezeani, in his book “In Biafra Africa
Died” painted the picture of Biafra as a lofty dream that never materialized.
The Igbos are unarguably industrious and evidently ingenious. But our exploits
in the politics of business compares inversely with our mark in the business of
politics at the grand stage. So, we don’t have it all. A man who is aware of
the challenges ahead of him has ample advantage over another who is taken
unawares . Forty nine years ago we found ourselves in a war situation before we
started planning on how to fight it. The result was a loss with its concomitant
setbacks. If losing a war provided the grounds for the unjust seizure of the
properties (Abandoned Property) of the Igbos , losing their citizenship is
another potential basis. The first generation of post Civil war Igbos,
apparently care less about suffering the fate that befell their fathers, even
when it will result in their children starting from the scratch.
The Change mantra was used by the APC ( All Progressives
Congress) to sway Nigerians into voting them in. With the harsh economic
realities, not a few are asking if this is the change they voted for? It is
expedient to let the Igbos see beyond the sweet talk and the fantasy of a milk
and honey Paradise. When there are no cows and bees in sight.
Osita Nwaka (ostarnc@gmail.com) lives in Lagos.
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