BIAFRA: WHY UNITY IS SUPREME
By Agha Egwu
You see no one can be perfect, and Nnamdi Kanu is no exception. As much as I love him as a person, and admire the great work he has done in building Radio Biafra, and IPOB, there are many things I am not sure of, and even things I dislike. To say I follow him blindly is a big lie, but there is a reason why I will support everything Nnamdi Kanu and IPOB do, because in the long run I really have little choice in the matter.
Let me explain. Let us assume that Nnamdi Kanu is a goat. A very courageous goat but like a goat, not very intelligent, I will still follow him. The reason is simple. For all the other brilliant people I see, none, and I mean none, has the courage to inspire millions of Igbos and non-Igbos to stand up to the Hausa – Fulani Islamist Jihadist hegemony that has befallen the country today.
That is why I follow Nnamdi Kanu
And IPOB because…
Unity is Supreme
Unity is our dream
Unity is formidable
A fortress impregnable.
You see there are some things I do not like about Nnamdi Kanu and there are some decisions that I disagree with, but I do not assume that I am more intelligent than the whole of IPOB that made that decision. After all, in democracy, for it to work, the minority always disagrees with the majority, but the minority must suspend their own beliefs and key in with the majority.
There are people that have a wrong-headed sense of themselves as superior. People like Charlie Boy, Jim Iyke, Mbe Nwaniga, Kelechi Deca, Joe Igbokwe, the elders of Ohaneze and the Governors of the South-East States. You see they do not have the guts to defend their people, and yet they disparage the only person who has the guts. Some think they have guts until Hausa Fulani chase them out of Wuse Market. Some, like Mbe Nwaniga and Kelechi Deca are really very nice people, but who have wrong-headed idealistic notions that refuse to appreciate the violent underbelly and irreconcilable ideologies that make Nigeria impossible.
That is why I follow Nnamdi Kanu
And IPOB because…
Unity is Supreme
Unity is our dream
Unity is formidable
A fortress indisputable.
So even if Nnamdi Kanu is just a courageous goat, with no good sense of reasoning, all we should do is for all those brilliant people to surround Nnamdi Kanu, the courageous but not very intelligent goat, to take the bullets for them and we all still forge forward. Look at how silly Charlie Boy looked racing away from Wuse Market. Compare it with how formidable Nnamdi looked when he stepped out of his vehicle and walked towards the Ebonyi Police checkpoint, with thousands behind him. The police barrier melted as they reversed their vehicles out of the way. Was it just spiritual force? Or did they, the police know or fear that if they tried pim, they will hear nwiiii?
Now imagine Charlie Boy and Jim Iyke walking side by side with Nnamdi facing another checkpoint with a multitude of diehard IPOB peaceful warriors, standing resolutely behind them. Imagine if Ohaneze elders have the guts to join Nnamdi in the march. Then, imagine any of the cowardly Governors rolling out a red carpet for Nnamdi and shouting at the top of his voice, “Nigeria, this is our son, in whom we are well pleased.” Imagine if Pat Utomi brought his cerebral mind behind IPOB. Imagine! Imagine! Nnamdi is only a battering ram for Igbos and non-Igbos that want to flee Nigeria. He needs social economic planners for the new Biafra. Gather around him. Fill up the empty spaces with good plans. You cannot do what he is doing to shake the pillars of the Status Quo, but it is still better for you to join than stand apart and scoff. Imagine how powerful our unity would become. Unfortunately, their egos are so far refusing to allow them, as they mock that small boy with his ‘miscreants’ like me. In their great learning, their foolishness would not let them see a picture bigger than themselves.
That is why I follow Nnamdi Kanu
And IPOB because…
Unity is Supreme
Unity is our dream
Unity is formidable
A fortress incontestable.
But let us assume that Nnamdi Kanu was even less intelligent than a goat, but still had all this courage and spiritual force; and let us even accept that he may even fail. I will still follow him and struggle with him to succeed, simply because there is no one else out there willing to stand up with spiritual force, without violence, to bring down the walls of Jericho. Charlie Boy tried and ran. Who else biko. I see the gentle, soft spoken unassuming man, that carries no airs, but when he speaks with power, he thunders like a lion, a tiger whose roar sends shivers to all those who hate truth. I see a man of courage who fears no one. Who tells the truth and calls the enemy of the people what they are. And then people say he is abusing, they call it hate speech, when what he has done is give a perfect description of evil. If you describe the evil in someone, it is NOT an abuse. It is simply a description. Nnamdi Kanu does not abuse. He honestly describes.
Some people say that he is like Hitler and will soon bring violence. They say that this is how Boko Haram started. No! I do not see that at all. They point at his recent Biafra Security Services and exclaim he is armed. Yet, BSS is an unarmed group, that has been set up to protect us from the extreme hate groups of Fulani Herdsmen because we are surrounded by a Fulani-led Army and Police that seem to be complicit in our mass murder. What I see in Nnamdi Kanu is a Gandhi, Martin Luther King or Mandela. And even if he was a Hitler in the making, in so far as there is no alternative, then I will follow him, and if he proves to be a Hitler, we will deal with him like the World dealt with Hitler. But even if he was Hitler, what is really the difference between being ruled by a Jihadist Demon and a Nazi Devil? I will certainly take a chance, and hope he is an angel rather than a devil, than remain yoked to a known demon.
That is why I follow Nnamdi Kanu
And IPOB because…
Unity is Supreme
Unity is our dream
Unity is formidable
A fortress indefatigable.
Yes, there are many reasons why I think I know better than IPOB, just like many Facebook Vuvuzelas, who with their 200 likes and comments think they are champions of social media and qualify to tell Nnamdi what to do. There are some of the IPOB decisions which I think is just crazy. But you know what? They are in good company. When Gandhi, the father of Indian Independence, told his fellow campaigners that they will bear no arms in fighting the British Raj, they all thought he was mad. So, during one demonstration the British army blocked their path. There were thousands of them.
They simply stood at attention. And one at a time they will walk up to the army who would clobber the person. As one fell, another walked forward without fear. After some days, the trigger happy British soldiers, not having the joy of killing Indian coolies, got tired of clobbering innocents that filled up their prisons. The World watched as these brutal soldiers beat up defenceless civilians who offered no resistance. Eventually, out of shame, the soldiers gave up and gave way. Gandhi’s victory made world-wide headlines. The people stood in awe of Gandhi. That was what Nnamdi did at the police checkpoint in Ebonyi State. I urge you all to try and watch the film Gandhi, so you can understand the genius behind the method of Civil Disobedience. As Gandhi defeated the British Raj morally, the people lined up behind him. What mattered most was their Unity.
That is why I follow Nnamdi Kanu
And IPOB because…
Unity is Supreme
Unity is our dream
Unity is formidable
A fortress indomitable.
Reverend Martin Luther King did even more stupid things. A black guy was forced out of a restaurant for whites only. So, Martin Luther King organised a long line of thousands of blacks who waited patiently in queues that went around the block. Each one will enter and go and sit and request to be served. That one will be beaten and the police would pick the person up. The World was watching. Then as soon as one goes down, another follows. The local jail got filled with hundreds of blacks. People avoided the restaurant. Eventually the owner gave up and started serving the blacks. Other restaurants wised up as similar actions spread nationwide and that ended whites-only restaurants in the USA. As Reverend King defeated the White Supremacists morally, the people lined up behind him. What mattered most was their Unity.
Think of the stupid Mandela. The silly goat had an option to renounce violence and have a reduced sentence. Now his case was that of pretence violence, for they only blew up installations and always warned people out of the way. In the end, their violence was all mouth. For all practical purposes, Mandela and ANC were non-violent. To ordinary people like me, who thought we knew better, these masters of Civil Disobedience protests, Gandhi, King and Mandela, took decisions we thought only a goat could think of, but which turned out to be master strokes of genius. As Mandela defeated apartheid morally, the people lined up behind him. What mattered most was their Unity.
That is why I follow Nnamdi Kanu
And IPOB because…
Unity is Supreme
Unity is our dream
Unity is formidable
A fortress undoubtable.
There are many who are scattering our unity because they believe the Nigerian Press such as Channels TV, Internet sites and many Newpapers such as Nation, Punch and even the Sun that belongs to one of our sons, the disappointing, Orji Uzor Kalu. They mess up the minds of both Nigerians and Biafrans. Some think IPOB is a cult of personality and dictatorial. I laugh. Was Gandhi, Martin Luther King and Mandela, not cults of personality and dictatorial? Did it stop them from achieving objectives? It WAS actually necessary because Independence movements and freedom fighting do not succeed as democracies. For those who say he is being worshiped, was Gandhi not worshipped? He was venerated in his life time by the superstitious, and was even thought of as a god in polytheistic India.
For those who say he is called Supreme Leader was Gandhi not an absolute Supreme Leader? Nyerere was called Mwalimu, the great teacher. Mandela was called Madiba, the Great Leader. They all had absolute authority. Whatever they said was carried out immediately, not because they ordered, but because the people loved them so much they just wanted to do what would make them happy. Did we not once honour Zik that way with Zik of Africa? Have we not worshipped Ojukwu more, driven by an intense sense of gratitude? Nnamdi Kanu is like that. Did he not accept these praises and move on with his great work of liberation? That Nnamdi is worshipped by a superstitious few does not mean Nnamdi thinks its true, but like Gandhi he just lets them be and focuses on his objective?
That is why I follow Nnamdi Kanu
And IPOB because…
Unity is Supreme
Unity is our dream
Unity is formidable
A fortress unbeatable.
However, although he is called Supreme Leader, decisions in IPOB are democratic and collegiate amongst its leaders with widespread consultation. Leadership of an Independence struggle for Freedom is hardly ever by democracy. It is usually by leaders who feel compelled in spirit, called upon to bring freedom to their people. The same is true for all struggles for Freedom. Can you imagine Gandhi, Martin Luther King or Mandela being removed by democratic vote from their struggle? The dangers of electing the wrong person in such struggles is too high and would destroy the struggle. Gandhi, Martin Luther King and Mandela were leaders whose words were law, because the people wanted it so, yet they were such strong leaders they never abused it, always taking decisions with their leadership through wise and wide consultation. Nnamdi Kanu is like that.
That is why I follow Nnamdi Kanu
And IPOB because…
Unity is Supreme
Unity is our dream
Unity is formidable
A fortress unshakeable
Yet, there are still many of us who think they know better out of sheer ignorance about the Civil Disobedience method, but they will not accept they are ignorant. A very good example include those who cannot understand that completely boycotting Anambra elections is a master stroke of Civil Disobedience genius. I urge you all to read about Gandhi and Reverend King and Civil Disobedience, so Nnamdi Kanu can stop appearing weird to you. Let me use myself as an example. I disagreed with Anambra State election boycott initially. Like most ordinary people, I thought it was best for IPOB to field candidates to win. However, I was committed to submitting myself to IPOB unity because UNITY IS SUPREME. I did not want to be one of those who do not have the discipline to subsume their preferences to the greater body fighting for Biafra independence.
This led me to start thinking of why Kanu and IPOB should do such a crazy thing. The proof of the pudding is in the eating. When we all did the sit at home on Memorial Day, it’s impact was really shocking. Imagine such a thing on election day. Its power will be earth quaking throughout Nigeria and the international community. But if we see lots of people at the voting booth it will do damage to the image of IPOB. However, the bigger damage would be for IPOB to use its power to contest elections and get rigged out by INEC, because they will NEVER allow IPOB people to win elections.
However, because I was committed to the principle of formidable UNITY, I finally opened my eyes and saw the brilliance of the IPOB boycott. Our target now is to make it as near to total as possible. A Governor would still be elected, as some people would still vote, but empty polling booths will tell a devastating tale. Obiano would probably be returned to power, but he is neither worse nor better than the APC or PDP candidate. Who wins is irrelevant for Biafra. It is how big, the boycott, that matters.
I also do not mind Nnamdi being called Supreme Leader. It makes people think of Megalomania. However, many of the members of IPOB feel they need to accord him that. Afterall, members of Churches call their pastors, mamas and papas and all kinds of ‘megalomaniac’ names. Its built into the Nigerian DNA it seems. Russell Bluejack went before Nnamdi Kanu and fell on his knees. He said he felt compelled, even though Nnamdi resisted it.
I do not like the way some people seem to worship him without condemnation or open rebuke from him. But the truth is that in a superstitious society, people are bound to convert extraordinary achievers into demigods. Zik in his hey days was once a god. He was said to have such powers that he locked up the mammywater of River Niger in a bottle. We were so superstitious as children, WE BELIEVED IT! We worshipped him. Gandhi was worshipped too. He found it amusing but he let them be because he understood their need to bow before him. I can only hope that Nnamdi is like Gandhi.
I do not like all this Jewish business in Biafra. It confuses and makes Christians think its blasphemy against Christ and losing us support even amongst our own people. I believe that religion should be a private matter. I think that the idea of Igbos being ethnic Jews is farfetched but nothing wrong with being a converted Jew. However, I do think that a large number of Jews, fleeing persecution, settled in Igbo land and we borrowed many of the cultures they brought, including democracy, priest-kings, circumcision and seven-year apprenticeship in trade. This probably means some Igbos have Jewish DNA in them.
The most important thing is that most religions are pure superstition. Catholics think that Mary is the Mother of God, an idea that protestants find blasphemous. However, if you tell a Christian that they turned a man to God they will reject you. But we do know that Rastafarians did turn a man, Emperor Haille Selassie of Ethipoia, into God. Given that all religions have their myths or weirdness, I am not bothered about the religion of Nnamdi Kanu and those who want to follow him into the Jewish faith. They could be Hindus or Buddhists for all I care. Any religion, except for Jihadists in Islam, are welcome.
So, having spewed all my negatives about Nnamdi, what is my overall assessment of him? Like I said, even if Nnamdi was a goat, with such resolute courage, I will still follow him, because there is no other alternative in a sea of Efulefu leaders and fearful elders, willing to sell our birthrights even to the lowest bidder. However, I have news for you. Nnamdi Kanu, is no goat. His negatives are insignificant compared to his outstanding positives. He is one of the most cerebral, most courageous, most considerate men I know. He is an extraordinary leader, manager, administrator and mobiliser of men and resources. If you doubt me, go and set up your own world-wide radio and TV and get millions of people to follow you.
Do not think I have always felt like that. The first time I heard him on Radio, I was repelled by his caustic tongue, as he called politicians what they were without mincing words. Why should we mince words when we want to call a mass murderer or a thief by what they do? Such people should be blamed, shamed and tamed. I slowly came to realise that Kanu was not abusing but describing these people exactly as they are. I also came to realise, after forcing myself to listen to Radio Biafra, that Kanu is sacrificial, honest and loving. A powerful spiritual force emanates from him to dominate all those who come under the influence of his aura. I am glad and relieved to have such a man as Igbo leader and that is why I line up behind him.
O yes, undoubtedly, Nnamdi Kanu is fallible as a human being and with the IPOB leadership can make mistakes, but let us close ranks and keep our mistakes in-house rather than blabbing it publicly. Take for instance, the Anambra State election boycott, if it is a mistake, the fact that we would all boycott together would still be powerful and awesome, and send the unmistakable global message that Igbos want out of Nigeria. However, if we went into elections and we fail, it will seriously dent the reputation of IPOB, which is not in our interest at all. At this very point in our history, it is better for the Anambra Governorship elections to crash than for IPOBs reputation for formidability to be dented. Anambra can be temporarily sacrificed today for our glory tomorrow as one of the modern industrial nations of the world, from which Anambra is poised to benefit the most.
The message is simple. For us to succeed we must be UNITED. To be UNITED we must carry the good news not only to the grass roots, but also to the Efulefus and fearful elders. We must persuade even our Governors and elders to accept Nnamdi Kanu as an extraordinary leader of the Igbos, who is fighting for freedom for both Igbos and non-Igbos. We must persuade, not just abuse.
Let us all unite and pursue one course. If we boycott, let us all boycott. If we make mistakes let all of us make that mistake, and even in that, doing it together will show a united front. The more united we are, the stronger and more formidable we are. As Nnamdi Kanu and IPOB defeat Nigeria morally, the people will line up behind him. What matters most is our Unity.
If we sail
Let us sail together.
If we fail
Let us fail together
If we think
Let us think together
If we sink
Let us sink together
If we fly
Let us fly together
And if we must die
Let us die together
Martyred for freedom
For we are no betters
Than millions in God’s Kingdom
That died to break our fetters.
And that is why I follow Nnamdi Kanu
And IPOB because…
Unity is Supreme
Unity is our dream
Unity is formidable…
Impregnable
Indisputable
Incontestable
Indefatigable
Indomitable
Undoubtable
Unbeatable
Unshakeable
A fortress unconquerable.
I HAVE WRITTEN THIS ARTICLE SO THAT THOSE WHO BELIEVE IN BIAFRA CAN USE IT TO PERSUADE THOSE WHO DOUBT. STORE THIS ARTICLE, AND SEND IT TO THOSE WHO DOUBT. ALTHOUGH IT IS LONG, ENCOURAGE THEM TO FINISH IT. SHARE, SO OTHERS CAN UNDERSTAND THAT WHAT EACH THINKS IS LESS IMPORTANT THAN ONE FORMIDABLE FRONT.
MONEY SHARING! MONEY SHARING!! MONEY SHARING!!!
information reaching the
desk of Family Writers Press now has it that the governor of Ebonyi State has
continued in his money sharing strategy to deviate the minds of Ebonyi state
Biafran citizens in the struggle to restore Biafra by Mazi Nnamdi Kanu of IPOB.
Today Tuesday, 22 August
2017 it was the turn of Ohaukwu LGA, and Izzi LGA where the governor scheduled
to visit but the heavy downpour in the state disrupted the movement, but he was
able to give each persons especially the members of PDP who came out the sum of
#750 only to sell their right and future. The source of this information who
pleaded for anonymity reviewed that the governor and his entourage stopped over
at the front of Ohaukwu LGA headquarters to wave at those who came out to
welcome him.
The source equally reviewed
that all their efforts to close down the markets was proved abortive as many
insisted of doing their businesses.
We like to congratulate the
governor for having such money to share to his hungry citizens even when no
social amenities are properly functioning in the state especially the rural
areas.
But what is #750 going to
buy for you?
Notwithstanding, you ought
to know by now that not even sharing of #750thousand even #750million will
make election to hold again in Biafra land till Referendum is conducted, if
your plans are to go for second tenure come 2019 then you must think twice
because... #No_Way_For_You_Guys...Biafra
is here.
To you money collectors! The
choice is yours.
PRESIDENT BUHARI,
THE REAL ENEMY Of NIGERIA,
NOT NNAMDI KANU
By Timi Olagunju
Until the lions have their own historians, the history of
the hunt will always glorify the hunter.” – Chinua Achebe
For some time now, I have taken time to conduct research
on the question of ‘what or who is the architect (root) of Nigeria’s
failure?’ By root (or architect), I mean ‘the origin’. Along these lines, I
have also asked the question “what or who is the real enemy of Biafra (or Nigeria)?
In attempting these questions, I have discovered that some
believe that the enemy of ‘Biafra’ (or Nigeria) is ‘the Fulani’, some say
‘the Yoruba’, and some believe ‘Igbos’ are the enemies. In all of these, I do
not have all the answers, but would you like to join me on a journey in finding
the real enemy?
As far back as 1400, there was a grand plan to increase
commerce in European nations, and further leverage an opportunity to devalue
Africans, for commercial reasons. As at 1787, the Encyclopedia Britannica which
was read by students across Europe described
the African man, as ‘ugly’.
This was later maliciously consolidated by Charles Darwin,
who postulated theories to push the commercial interest of slavery (against the
logic of science or humanity) to affirm Africans as not fully evolved – thus
it’s wide European acceptance because of its commercial value.
Further to that, as at 1806, Africans were displayed in Zoos across Europe, with the teeth sharpened to look more like an
Orangutan’s teeth. All this in itself was to prepare for exploitation of the
black race for monetary and commercial purposes, which is absolutely unnatural
to the human conscience.
But how else could the perpetrators with an insatiable
love for money allow their people believe such evil? It had to be through
structured and well-planned attempts at one thing: “indoctrination” or
“programming”. It was easier to perpetuate such devaluing of the black woman
and man, because of the significantly clear difference in skin colour.
With these, we can establish that the black race was
programmed by default to fail and be considered a failure for personal gains of
a few nations. And the saying goes ‘tell a lie often, and soon thereafter, it
becomes true’.
Now, back to finding the real enemy of Biafra (or Nigeria).
Quickly, you would remember that the current day Nigerian Army has it umbilical
connection or birth from the 1900 Royal West Africa Frontier Force (RWAFF) made
up of Nigeria, Gold Coast (Ghana), Sierra
Leone, and Gambia. In 1956 (four years before Independence), the
Nigerian Regiment of RWAFF was renamed the Nigerian Military Forces (NMF).
Have you asked why all the countries that constituted the
RWAFF, had military coup immediately after independence? It couldn’t have been
coincidental, so what was it? Again, I do not claim to have all the answers,
but let me explain.
Firstly, military coups were foreign to our tradition –
and the military made up of extremely passionate and bright individuals, were
trained to protect the British territorial and commercial interest, not
necessarily that of their newly independent countries. If you remember, some of
brightest military minds, were taken for training in places such as The Royal
Military Academy in Sandhurst, Surrey, to
receive further training ahead of independence.
Using the old European strategy of indoctrination (which
we established earlier) and the well established British strategy of “Divide
and Rule” that worked in English speaking West Africa (including Nigeria), the
military minds that made up the first Republic, were armed with the knowledge
of military coups, as well as heavy indoctrination around the concepts of the
‘divide and rule’ of power, ahead of the independence of their countries
including Nigeria.
These trainings were not received until the British
perceived the imminence of independence through the efforts of civilian
“freedom fighters” such as the Nkrumahs, the Azikiwes, the Awolowos, the
Balewas, the Macaulays, the Enahoroas, to wrestle power off them, knowing so
well that both the independence leaders and the military were themselves not
immune to the ‘divide and rule’ programming inherited from the colonialists.
Now, why did I bring the programming of the Nigerian
military into this? This is because the attempted secession of the Biafra
region in 1967 was caused by the pogrom that was committed against the Igbo and
other Biafrans living in the north in revenge of what the northerners termed
the assassination of northern leaders by a group of young soldiers led by Major
Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu, an Igbo, in Nigeria’s first military coup early on 15
January 1966 which was followed by another coup that resulted in the death of
the new head of state Major Gen JTU Aguiyi-Ironsi, also an Igbo, the same year.
Now, do we see the military as the enemy? No. The young
military minds at that time, unaware of the subtle programming of their minds,
exercised impatience and used what they had; knowledge of coups and barrels of
the gun to topple civilian regimes, further dividing Nigeria along ethnic
lines. The same scenario played out in other African countries after
independence.
Some have argued that the reason for the Biafra secession
was because Nigeria
was birthed from an unholy union. That might be a point. However, by
geographical and natural coincidence, most of the countries that form the
current day Nigeria, were
around the “Niger
area”, whether the South, East, West, or North.
So could nature be wrong? “No”. In fact, the popular
history that starts the chronology of Nigeria from Lord Lugard’s
amalgamation is wrong. Nigeria
was already in the hands of one ‘George Goldie’ (except for Lagos
and a few other places), who sold Nigeria to the British for £865,000
on 1 January 1900, as the Royal Niger Company.
As at that time, the North and South were described as the
lower and upper Niger, but
the British employed Lugard, Goldie’s bodyguard to further Goldie’s work in the
Niger
area, because it was felt that he would understand the area better, since he
worked and walked with Goldie.
Let’s not be deceived by using the same programming and
divide and rule trap to hold ourselves hostage along dividing lines. Nature and
geography supported Nigeria
– if not our culture or beliefs.
It is worthy of note that the divide and rule strategy
inherited from colonialists is the same indoctrination our military were
programmed to inherit – the root cause of our woes. Even the leaders were
themselves designed by default to fail because the divide and rule programming
was already ingrained in their minds, not realizing that they simply inherited
a failed system that will further the interest of colonial governments. Well,
the question is ‘could this same scenario have been a coincidence across Africa?’. Mathematical probability states otherwise – it
is the effect of subtle programming for commercial purposes.
See, Rwanda,
Sierra Leone, Liberia, Nigeria,
South Africa
(with the blacks taking on blacks who stood by them during the apartheid). That
same trend is what is being perpetrated in Nigeria? Building a history of
distrust, disharmony, and a lack of belief in oneness, at least first as
Africans, whether Igbo, Yoruba, or Hausa, or Fulani, or Ibibio.
On Biafra, let me proceed
with a brief on geography and history. It is stated that Biafra
got its original name from what is known as the Bight of Biafra – and it is
true. The name ‘Biafra’ (a Portuguese name) was given by the Portuguese for
commercial delineation of a large part of the present day Cameroon, as well as
some parts of Eastern Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea, and Gabon – mostly counties
within the Eastern area of Western Africa.
The name lost its use after parts of these were given to
the British and French colonies. In declaring secession in Eastern Nigeria in
1967, the name ‘Biafra’ was chosen for strategic reasons – as it brings back
the historical naming by the Portuguese and the other nations that share
historical roots to the Bight of Biafra – which was the more reason why
Portugal, Gabon and countries within the Bight supported the secession plan. It
was historical for them.
Now, laying all these before us, I must state that the
agitation for Biafra, could propel Nigeria to discuss the core issues
of its existence. This is good prima facie, but only scratches the surface.
The root enemy is the early programming and indoctrination
of the Nigerian mind along ‘dividing lines’, whether ethnic or religious,
forgetting the ‘African’ roots. This is the real enemy of Nigeria (or Biafra),
not the Yorubas, or Fulanis, or Hausas, or Igbos – and restructuring is not the
way forward.
The way forward for Nigeria,
Biafra (or the African race as a whole;
including the diaspora) is a need for “Corrective Design”, not restructuring or
a call for secession. Restructuring looks to the past to lead the future, but
designing looks to the future and learns from the past to create alternative
solutions.
For example, if you want to be debt-free, you could either
restructure or redesign the way forward. If you restructure a debt, it means
you only spread the same debt over a period of time, but designing would
require not only spreading the debt but also looking for alternative means of
income (as well reducing excess spending) to be debt free.
By corrective design, which I plan to expand upon in my
forth book “Corrective Design: The Path to Africa’s
Prosperity”, we need to identify and agree there is a problem with our
programming as Nigerians (Africans), and then begin a structured conversation
and redesigning.
That conversation should not be a politically motivated
‘National Conference’, it should be a dialogue from the 774 local governments
in Nigeria,
to the State and regional levels, and lastly, the National level – a bottom up
conversation, as against a top bottom.
For Nnamdi Kanu (and IPOB), if you decide to drive a
movement that brings to life these conversations (not only in Nigeria but across Africa),
then you would be remembered in history, but to pursue a cause of secession in
itself would only repeat the cycle of indoctrination and divide.
For the government, I challenge our imagination on how
crippling the default programming has been- imagine the economic and creative
benefit to the fashion industry in Nigeria, if at independence, Nigeria had
abolished the mundane wearing of suits and tie (in a sunny weather) inherited
from the colonialist, and embraced traditional Nigerian attires, as the
official and formal corporate clothing? Further imagine the economic benefits of
redesigning our education, our style of government, and our laws.
Learning from Chairman Mao’s approach of massive
re-education of the Chinese people, which laid the foundation for technology
and economic advancement, if the Nigerian Government understands its role as a
government first focused on correcting the default design of the Nigerian
people – we will be a step closer to greatness.
.
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