Obi Bright Chinweuba
This is the period of truth. It’s is the moment of honesty, sincerity, love and deep consideration. This period calls for serious pondering on the future of Nigeria.
I’ve heard a lot of people insulting and abusing the director of the Radio Biafra. I’ve listened to his messages a few times. And I’ve cared to sieve the vital truths from his message while discarding those that have the semblance of impatience, hate, intolerance and attack on some perceived enemies. I know what I want. I pick the appropriate messages.
The Biafra agitation is simply the symptom of a deeper lying disease. It’s just a symptom; the disease is the system. The unjust and debilitating system gave rise to the Biafra agitation. And until the disease is sincerely tackled, the symptoms won’t go away. And pretending there isn’t any problems when the contrary is obvious won’t still solve the problems.
Disaster is when a unitary system of government was carefully designed to operate in a multicultural nation like Nigeria. It will always bring disaster. It will always bring economic imbalance and oppression. All the agitation for secession and other tendencies are predicated upon this wicked system. No nation with our unique and different cultural diversity should be running a unitary system of government.
The greatest enemies of Nigeria aren’t even those who call for an outright referendum or secession. The greatest enemies of Nigeria are those who have insisted on maintaining the current dubious and suffocating system. I believe deep within the average Igbo, a sincere attempt at restructuring the system will suffice, and many shall drop this agitation for Biafra. The agitation is simply intended to achieve for them economic justice, development and progress. Since they haven’t achieved that within the Nigerian nation, they believe they can achieve that within Biafra. It’s their right to chart their destiny.
Nigeria is notorious for playing the ostrich. It’s notorious for throwing money at problems. It’s notorious for even denying it has problems. The only lasting solution to Malaria is a treatment of the disease; not just managing the symptoms. The current system has NO FUTURE. It must give way to a more equal, just and meaningful one. Any other attempt is tantamount to pouring of water on the back of a duck.
There were about 1 billion people in 1815. By 2015, none of those 1 billion people is alive. That simply means we are not going to live eternally; we ALL will die. It then behoves on us to be sincere enough to pass onto our children a better system that will guarantee their progress and evolution. The current Nigerian system has no such plans for them.
The North produces NOTHING. All the money generated at A papa and Tincan Ports, Muritala Intl Airport, and from the ND are used in beautifying Abuja and other Northern states. That’s the fraud we’re talking about.
Nigeria must either return to regional government, true federalism or risk the worst in the nearest future. The human spirit behind justice, fairness and equity is so irrepressible no amount of intimidation and threat can quench it. Quiet it today, and it will surface tomorrow.
Biafra isn’t the problem of Nigeria. Nigeria is even a huge hindrance to the growth of the Igbos. It’s an albatross to their development. Change the system.
I close with the last words of Ken Saro wiwa before he was hanged: ‘ I’m a man of ideals; a man of values. My ideals will live. You may kill the messenger but you cannot kill the message’.
Have a great week ahead.
